Heather (Ghost Baker) « DinnerCakes

Kitchen Tips – Plastic vs. Wood & Cutting Board Maintenance

June 26th, 2009

by Heather (Ghost Baker)

Well, I’m still a little flabbergasted by all the recent developments. First the Governor of South Carolina puts on a soap opera worthy performance, then Farrah Fawcett died and then in very surprising but not entirely shocking news, Michael Jackson dies.

For those of you in my generation, you probably still remember pulling the wrapping off your “Dangerous” cassette tape with glee. Eerily, my husband put on “Thriller” yesterday morning as we were getting ready for work. Not that I could ever picture Michael Jackson as an old man, but it’s still a little upsetting. His music had an undeniable impact.

But I guess my musings on Michael Jackson is not what you came here for!

A few weeks ago, my good friend asked me what to do about mold on her wood cutting board. My very first thought was, “throw it out! Game over!” But as I stopped to think and did a little research, I found some good resources.

First off – prevention. If you have a wood cutting board, make sure that after washing it you dry it in an upright position. If you have a dish drainer, then this likely isn’t a problem for you, but lately I’ve seen more people who go without them.

If you notice mold on your wood cutting board, there are a few things you can do. I’ve seen some forums where people discuss using bleach, but using bleach on a cutting board seems like bad news to me. I like my food without a side of poisonous chemicals! Try cleaning with vinegar. What my friend did to remove the mold is just sand it down. Of course, this will only work if a small area is moldy (but let’s hope you’re not trying to use a cutting board ransacked with mold!).

Ehow.com, quickly becoming my new favorite website as you can tell from my last Kitchen Tips post, gives some great tips on how to care for a variety of cutting boards including wood, plastic, glass and more.

Chef Edwin once told me that I shouldn’t be using a wooden cutting board for meat, but if that’s true then why does my wood Martha Stewart cutting board have a sweet etching of a chicken on one side and vegetables on the other? Martha wouldn’t lie to me! This wisegeek.com article discusses that some of the sanitation fears about wood boards just go back and forth ad nauseum. The plastic lovers throw out some government reports, and the wood board lovers toss back other studies. I’m not going to get into the intricacies here; the bottom line for me is that I was raised in a house with a wood cutting board, I currently use a wood cutting board and everyone is still alive and kicking!

But back to Martha – she suggests, “Every few weeks, sprinkle a generous portion of coarse salt over the board’s surface, and rub it with the cut side of a lemon half. Afterward, rinse the board well with hot water, then dry completely with a clean kitchen towel.”

Further, if your wood board is made from thick butcher block, then you should also oil the board periodically, wiping away the excess and letting it dry upright. Use mineral oil for this exercise – never vegetable oil. Mineral oil will keep water from seeping into the wood grain and also help prevent cracking.

Both wood and plastic cutting boards require a little maintenance to keep them free from food-borne bacteria. With a little extra care, your cutting board should last for years.

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Food Photography – Cold and Sweet Cherry Ice Cream

June 24th, 2009

by Heather (Ghost Baker)

It’s hard for me to resist eating all the frozen cherries before adding them to the ice cream… but I try!

(Pictured: Tiny Lotus Cup Filled with Cold and Sweet Cherry Ice Cream from The Ultimate Ice Cream Book: Over 500 Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, Drinks, And More by Bruce Weinstein)

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Lightened Up Strawberry Cake

June 22nd, 2009

by Heather (Ghost Baker)

It seems fitting to share this cake today, just after father’s day, because this is a cake I worked on with my father in mind.

I’ve mentioned before that my dad adheres to an extremely strict and healthy diet (no eggs, butter, oil, cheese, etc.). This is hard for me, because I think trying to make desserts healthier is a slippery slope. I’ve been scorned by too many dry bran muffins and eggless applesauce cakes.

However, I saw a recipe for a Pink Lady Cake on Smitten Kitchen, and I thought it might translate well to a healthier version. Instead of a large triple layer cake I decided to cut down on the portions and make it into a bundt cake. I also used egg white substitute and I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter’s new Cooking & Baking sticks.

I also left out the cream cheese frosting. The cake was so moist that a rich frosting wasn’t necessary (nor did it fit with my plans of being healthy!). This is great with just some fat free Cool Whip and fresh sliced strawberries. Enjoy!

Lightened Up Strawberry Cake
adapted from Smitten Kitchen

2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 5/8 teaspoons baking powder
3/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter’s new Cooking & Baking sticks, room temperature
3/4 cups pureed frozen strawberries
equivalent of 4 egg whites using Egg White Substitute
1/3 cup non-fat milk
2 drops red food dye (makes it nice and pink)

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and lightly flour bundt pan.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixer bowl. Add room temperature butter and strawberry puree; mix to blend the ingredients. Raise speed to medium and beat a few minutes until fluffy (at this point, Smitten says, the batter looks like strawberry ice cream and warns not to try it – and she is not lying! It’s delicious!).

In another large bowl, whisk substitute egg whites, milk and red food dye to blend. Add the whites batter gradually, scraping down the sides of the bowl well periodically and mixing only until combined. Pour batter into bundt pan.

Bake for about 40-45 minutes (keep an eye on it though to prevent overbaking), or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 15 minutes, then carefully turn out onto a wire racks to cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with a dollop of cool with and fresh strawberry slices.

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Foodie News – A Health, Science and Lolcat Kind of Month

June 20th, 2009

by Heather (Ghost Baker)

Welcome to our second installment of Foodie News! Click here if you missed our first edition at the end of May. Today we have a fairly healthy round up of foodie news and tips for you – some have made an appearance on our Twitter feed, but some are brand new!

There are tons of diets out there (right now I keep hearing about the P90X?), but have you heard about the Mayo Clinic’s Recommended DASH diet: Healthy eating to lower your blood pressure? The DASH diet encourages moderation and emphasizes portion size and eating a variety of foods and getting the right amount of nutrients. Moderation instead of fad diets?! Crazy, we know.

Dorie Greenspan lends a few tips on buying, keeping and cooking asparagus that shouldn’t be missed. She also explains the differences between white and green asparagus.

Meat is one of the most expensive things Americans eat. Is it any surprise that in today’s economy more people are turning to cheaper options? The economic downturn may have a positive effect on the meat-heavy American diet, says Gourmet.com. Think these “Recession Flexitarians” will last?

Cereal claims to be a healthy option. I’ll embarrassingly admit that I ran out to get more Grape Nuts when they launched their “Eat 2 Lose 10” campaign. A new report assesses the nutritional content of 100 breakfast cereals, detailing the salt, fat, saturated fat and sugar contents per 100g, and listing the worst offenders and healthier options in each category.

Minicows! Seriously… minicows! One Slate writer wanted to get snarky and lament more genetic engineering, but then he realized he had it backwards. After years of genetically modifying cow genes, economic and ecological forces are now pulling us back to the original gene pool.

And don’t worry, I’d never forget to add a foodie lolcat in training:

Have a lovely weekend, DinnerCakes readers!

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Sweetened & Smooth Iced Coffee, Finally Without the Bitterness

June 18th, 2009

by Heather (Ghost Baker)

“What’s this black sludge?” Not the words you want to hear from your husband while his head is in the fridge. When I told him it was an experiment, he looked even less convinced.

Last week I went to Starbucks with some co-workers for a little afternoon caffeine. One of my co-workers was sipping a Diet Coke instead of ordering coffee, so the barista decided to give her a little sass, “I think you should know,” he said, “since you’re not ordering a coffee… They did a study that showed soda was more effective at cleaning out car engines than other products.”

Now, the comment was unnecessary and snarky, and I’m not saying I believe him, but it did get me thinking.

I’ve always been a soda drinker more than a coffee drinker. My own breakfast of champions, I used to start out the day in high school with a Coca-Cola, followed by one at lunch and another when I got home from school. One can of Coke is, what, 140 calories? Multiply that by three and you get 420 extra calories per day that were giving me absolutely nothing in return. When I made the switch from regular Coke to Diet Pepsi back in college, I was thrilled to find that I also dropped a few pounds (byebye, extra 420 calories!). After and since college I finally dropped my soda consumption down to just one can a day (of course, not including weekends, free refills at restaurants, giant size fountain soda cups, etc…).

But even though I dropped those extra calories in regular soda and I decreased the volume I’m drinking, what am I really giving my body in return? Besides the sweet jolt of cold caffeine and the refreshing taste, ignoring the slightly troubling burn of soda as it goes down the throat, what is the nutritional value?

The Pepsi Products website lists the ingredients as CARBONATED WATER, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, CARAMEL COLOR, SUGAR, PHOSPHORIC ACID, CAFFEINE, CITRIC ACID, NATURAL FLAVORS. What’s really natural about soda?

I don’t mean to get preachy here. As far as vices go, one Diet Pepsi per day is pretty darn good! But what if I could replace one vice with a slightly less harmful and more natural vice?

And that’s how my husband arrived at “black sludge” in the fridge. The sludge was actually coffee grounds and water, being cold brewed overnight. I’ve read it’s the only way to make good iced coffee.

Before you recoil at the phrase iced coffee, know that I am a reformed skeptic/hater of the stuff. Every time I’d had it in the past it was sharp and bitter, too reminiscent of hot coffee gone cold and left to sit for hours in the pot. Then I tried Starbucks Iced Coffee, Sweetened, with Non-Fat Milk – only $1.95, beckoned the billboard outside the store (and only 80 calories, says the website). It was so much better than any iced coffee I’d had before, and I decided it was time to harness the power of iced coffee in my own home and pocket the $1.95.

I’ve seen a lot of recipes for iced coffee on the internet, and I’m sure you have too. Even the recipes that use the cold brew method, though, don’t seem to go that extra mile and tell you how to make it Starbucks style. If you’ve ever watched the TV show “True Blood,” there’s a scene where the grandmother wonders why on earth anybody would pay three bucks for “a cup of coffee with too much milk.” Well, I do it because I enjoy the extra milk and sweeteners! I also appreciate the ease of just walking in and grabbing a cup. The cold brew method does require a little planning ahead, but the prep is minimal.

For once I’m so glad I gave in to the billboard advertisement and tried a Starbucks iced coffee. Though I will say, I went back for a second one yesterday and it was very bitter and nowhere near as good as the first one. I’m thinking they may have forgotten to sweeten it, or maybe I’m just used to my home-brewed version by now! This recipe isn’t an exact replica of Starbucks of course, but it gives me exactly what I wanted – an ice cold, mostly natural, smooth, sweet and refreshing caffeinated beverage. It’s very much like the frappuccinos that you can buy in grocery stores.

This summer I’m going to try swapping out the additives and unnaturalness of soda without giving up the caffeine (this is officially my third day “off the sauce,” lots more to go!). Why don’t you try it with me?

Sweetened & Smooth Iced Coffee
Makes two cups

Total ingredients (water, sugar, milk and vanilla will be divided):
1/4 cup coffee grounds (not instant)
2 cups cold water
3 to 4 tablespoons sugar (*see note below)
1/2 cup non-fat milk
1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract

Handy tools – 2-cup measuring cup, wok skimmer or large strainer, coffee filter

Step 1: Combine 1/4 cup coffee grounds and 1 cup cold, filtered water in a 2-cup measuring cup. Stir to combine, and refrigerate overnight.

Step 2: The next morning, add the remaining 1 cup of cold, filtered water to the cold brewed coffee. Stir to combine. Pour into a separate large glass and rinse 2-cup measuring cup to use for next step.

Step 3: Set wok skimmer or strainer over the clean 2-cup measuring cup. Place paper filter inside strainer, and pour coffee mixture over paper filter to strain into the 2-cup measuring cup. This should take approximately 5 minutes (prop the long skimmer handle onto something so that you can do other things while this is straining. If you’d like to use your coffee machine instead, just filter grounds throu
gh machine without plugging in)

Step 4: Fill two large glasses with ice and divide cold coffee between glasses. Add 1/4 cup non-fat milk, 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons sugar, and 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract to each glass. Stir and enjoy!

*Note – For the best and most even distribution of sugar, consider making a simple syrup. You can actually make a good amount at once and then just store it in an empty bottle in the fridge to use as needed. Here is a great how-to for simple syrup.

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Reader Request – Vodka Cream Sauce Using Fresh Tomatoes

June 16th, 2009

by Heather (Ghost Baker)

A few weeks ago a friend contacted me about homemade vodka sauce. She happens to love it, and she and her significant other have a huge garden where they are about to come into a large surplus of tomatoes – something like two bushels of tomatoes a week!

I had never made vodka sauce from scratch, but Edwin and I are always ready for adventure here on DinnerCakes.

I unearthed a discussion thread about making vodka sauce from scratch on Chowhound. A few of the commenters had some interesting ideas about making it from scratch, and a number of others just suggested a combination of canned and fresh tomatoes to really get the best taste. For this first attempt I used only fresh tomatoes, but I agree that adding some canned tomatoes would probably make a bit of a fuller sauce.

My sauce came out light and fruity, and I served it over gnocchi pasta. My husband and I both came to the realization that while we love gnocchi for the first few bites, we get a little bored with it towards the end. I think we might have enjoyed this more served over a different kind of pasta.

However, this is a good, lighter style vodka cream sauce that’s just right for summer! Please let us know if you have your own variation of vodka sauce using fresh tomatoes.

Summertime Vodka Cream Sauce
inspired by Chowhound forum

2 fresh tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon vodka
1/4 cup light cream
salt and red pepper, to taste

Wash tomatoes and make a few shallow cuts in the skin. Boil water, add whole tomatoes to boiling water for a moment, then remove and run cold water over them (ie, blanche tomatoes). The skin will now peel off easily. Peel tomatoes and set aside.

Heat a large pot and add a liberal amount of oil. Mince garlic and add to oil. Stir so that garlic does not burn. Quarter tomatoes and add to pot; simmer on medium heat.

Continue to heat until tomatoes come apart. Stir occasionally and break apart tomatoes with a wooden spoon as they simmer. This process will take a little while until the tomatoes turn to a pulpy sauce. Continue to stir frequently while simmering so that some of the liquid boils off and the sauce thickens, about 20 minutes.

As the sauce begins to caramelize, add the vodka and stir well. Add the cream last, then sprinkle with salt and red pepper. Pour over pasta while warm.

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Kitchen Tips – How to Save your Burned Pots!

June 12th, 2009

by Heather (Ghost Baker)

My husband Morgan and I were given a wonderful set of stainless steel Calphalon cookware as a wedding present. The pots and pans are amazing and we use them exclusively.

So my heart may have momentarily stopped when Morgan, while trying to steam vegetables but with too little water in the pot, burned the bottom of our 6 quart spaghetti pot completely black!

I assumed that the pot was ruined. He tried a few small things but nothing seemed to help.

Then he found an amazing how-to guide on How to Treat Burned Pots and Pans. It was Step 4 that really made the difference:

“If burned areas still remain, cover them completely with a generous amount of baking soda. Drizzle in just enough water to create a thick paste, smearing the paste up the sides of the pot if needed. Set aside for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.”

And now? The pot now looks brand new! All the black that was at the bottom is completely gone. So if you or your significant other burns a pot – relax! The ehow.com steps work.

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Food Photography – Scenes from the Joint Birthday Cook-out

June 10th, 2009

by Heather (Ghost Baker)

I consider myself very lucky; I received many gifts this year.

Gifts of lovely flowers, phone calls, messages and cards

Gifts of very good news

Gifts of funny hats (courtesy of Chef Edwin), laughter, and friends

We enjoyed more food than we had room for – like Alton Brown’s Baked Macaroni and Cheese (doubled, and with shell pasta instead of elbow macaroni)

My Uncle Chuck’s famous beans (my favorite – stayed tuned!)

Key Lime Black Raspberry Cheesecake cupcakes, deliciously made by a friend

A Tres Leche Cake from CakeLove: How to Bake Cakes from Scratch

And much, much more

Thank you for all the wonderful gifts this year – cheers to another year of friendships and culinary adventure!

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Jeff's Chicken Adobo

June 8th, 2009

by Heather (Ghost Baker)

Happy Monday, DinnerCakes readers. I hope you had a good weekend! If you read Saturday’s post, then you know that I kept pretty busy! The joint cook-out went very well and, as expected, we had entirely too much food. Just as a party should be!

After all that cooking, I can safely say that the last thing I felt like doing the next day was making dinner. My husband, Morgan, and I worked together to make this dish; one of our friend Jeff‘s favorites – Chicken “Adobo.”

Adobo style is Latin American and typically involves preparation with red chili peppers and/or tomato sauce. That’s why this recipe from Jeff perplexes me a little (and why I put it in quotation marks above), because it has no chili peppers or even red pepper. I apologize for the name confusion, but it’s a very flavorful and delicious dinner just the same!

I’m not a huge fan of ginger, but I actually enjoyed it in this dish. The bay leaves also add some great flavor. Next time we make it I’ll probably add cayenne and chili powder because I love a little heat (and it would be more aptly named). That’s just a personal preference, though. This dish doesn’t necessarily need heat – so enjoy!

Jeff’s Chicken Adobo

olive oil (just enough to coat the bottom of the pan)
1 lb. boneless chicken breast, cut in 3/4″ chunks
soy sauce
vinegar
water
1-2 inches of ginger root, grated
6-8 garlic cloves, grated or finely chopped
4-6 whole dried bay leaves
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
1 1/2 cups dry rice (basmati works great)
pinch of salt

Chicken:
Place chicken into a container to marinate. Cover with a mixture of equal parts soy sauce, vinegar and water. If you prefer a stronger flavor, you can cut back on the water. Marinate for at least five minutes (chicken may be marinated longer or even overnight for stronger flavor).

Add ginger, garlic, bay leaves and black pepper. In a large pan, heat the olive oil. Once the oil has heated, add chicken (saving the marinade).

Saute the chicken on medium-high heat until it is done or mostly done. Add the marinade and reduce the heat to medium. Continue cooking until sauce reduces to desired thickness. Serve over rice.

Rice:
Rinse rice in a pot 4-5 times and drain. Cook in a rice cooker, or according to package instructions.

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Happy Birthday, GB! It's the 157th day of the year (158th in leap years)…

June 6th, 2009

by Heather (Ghost Baker)

Happy Weekend, DinnerCakes readers – today is my birthday!

It’s actually barely my birthday… just fifteen minutes until 1:00 AM as I’m writing this. Why so late? Well, already a lot of exciting things have happened – who could sleep?

Throughout history, June 6 has always been an important day:
1944 – D-Day, World War II: Battle of Normandy begins.
198? – Ghost Baker was born!
1984 – Tetris was released.
2009 – TBA!

I brought chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting and chocolate ganache to work today, modeled off the Sky High Cakes recipe that Edwin and I made back in November. Halving the cake recipe gave me about a dozen cupcakes, and I was so immensely pleased that they were so well received! I was also given lovely flowers and taken to lunch. Thank you, everyone!

Then when my husband, Morgan, came in from work today, he brought a dozen peach and orange roses with him! I spent the rest of the evening cooking and baking in preparation for a joint birthday cook-out at a good friend’s house later today.

I had just taken Alton Brown’s Baked Macaroni and Cheese out of the oven and Morgan had just gotten into bed when the the phone rang. His sister had applied to transfer colleges and she just found out that moment that she got in! This is something that she worked very, very hard for and wanted with all her heart. We are thrilled, ecstatic, positively delighted and overjoyed!

The clock just struck 1:00 AM; barely my birthday and already so many wonderful things have happened. If the last 24 hours are any indication of things to come, then it should be an amazing year indeed!

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