As part of their annual Balsamic Blowout, my pals at Zingermans have schemed up a fun contest.  First, make a video about Balsamic Vinegar.  That’s right, any type of video, even with your iphone or low budget camera.  Upload it it YouTube and you could win a trip for two to Bologna, stay in a 4-star hotel and enjoy a private tour of a balsamic vinegar factory.  Some contests feel like a long shot… this feels possible.  Come on gang… you KNOW you have some funny, clever idea for a balsamic video.   You can find details and your competitors here. If you make one, let me know and I’ll help get out the votes!

A few weeks ago, this recipe was passed from a mommy friend to her sister to me.  It is easy to get stuck in a major rut with a toddler’s food since little ones tend to promote habit.  

My husband read an interesting tidbit a year or two back that I remember often.  It said that toddlers are picky eaters due to an innate survival instinct.  From the time that they can walk until they are old enough to make their own, reasonable decisions about food, they do not like to eat things that they don’t recognize. In primitive hunting and gathering days, this instinct kept toddlers from eating poisonous things. It makes sense and gives us a little reason to cut the tiny tykes some slack.

I am lucky that Mini Whipped is not an overly picky eater.  She is able to detect and reject the most minute morsels of onion.  And, she isn’t a huge fan of green things.  But, she DID accept the broccoli in these nuggets and even lauded me with a “Like chicken nuggets Mommy. Mum mum!”   That is equivalent to a double thumbs up.

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

Made about 18 1 1/2 inch patties

2 chicken breasts
1 head of broccoli (florets only, not big stem)
2 cups of shredded cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten and then mixed in.
1/2 cup of panko for coating patties
 
Start by poaching the chicken breasts. If you need instructions, find How to Poach Chicken here.  Wash broccoli and cut florets off.  Steam the broccoli until tender.  Chop the poached chicken in chunks and put it in a food processor pulsing until finely ground.  Add broccoli and cheese and pulse until combined.  The mixture should be very fine.  Pour the ground mixture into a bowl and stir in the lightly beaten eggs.  

Put the panko or bread crumbs on a plate.  With your hands, press the chicken mixture into patties.  Press each side on the patty in the crumbs to coat.  Place the nuggets on a cooking sheet that is sprayed with olive oil or cooking spray.  Spray the tops of the nuggets as well. 

Bake nuggets in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes, turning them over half way through. Serve with ranch, barbeque sauce, ketchup or the dipping sauce of your little one’s choice.

TO FREEZE: Place nuggets on a cookie sheet in the freezer for an hour.  Then, remove them and store them in a tupperware container or freezer bag.  You can take them out and cook as you need them.  Add about 5 minutes to the cooking time for frozen nuggets.

In the past, I have sung the praises of Grand Central Bakery.  When I visit my best pal in Portland, Oregon I always find myself at the bakery ordering a cup fragrant, locally roasted coffee and about 10 other treats from the menu.  For Christmas, my bestie proved that she knows me well by gifting me the Grand Central Bakery’s new cookbook.  Since their bakeries are only on the West Coast, I can now get a little fix of Grand Central goodies in my own Chicago kitchen.

I am always suspicious about restaurants that are willing to print all their recipes and give away their secrets.  Did they leave just one ingredient out?  Did they skip an essential step to ensure we can’t COMPLETELY replicate their yumminess?  Or do they count on the fact that we just prefer them doing the work and enjoying the experience enough to continue buying their treats?

In the case of this Irish Soda Bread, Grand Central seems to not only have given us the true recipe but also pages of hints, tips and tricks on baking and ingredients so we can make them just right.  Thank you Grand Central!  I will still sit at your long, wooden table and eat YOUR Irish Soda Bread whenever I find myself in Portland.  But until then… I will be smiling ear to ear that I have a little taste of you in Chicago.

These are best eaten the day you make them so give a few to neighbors or co-workers.  Your unexpected good deed will surely lift their spirits.

Irish Soda Bread from Grand Central Bakery
Makes 8 large pieces.

4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 teaspoons caraway seeds
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped orange zest
3/4 cup currants
3/4 cup cold, unsalted butter
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk
Egg wash

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Line a  baking sheet with parchment paper.  Measure the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl with high sides or the bowl of stand mixer and whisk to combine.  Stir in the caraway seeds, orange zest and currents.

Dice the butter into 1/2 inch cubes.  Use your hands or the paddle attachment of the stand mixer on low speed to blend the butter into dry ingredients until the texture becomes mealy.  If you want to finish baking the soda bread the next day, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill overnight; otherwise proceed with the recipe.

Add 3/4 cup of the buttermilk at once, mixing just until the dough comes together, 30-35 seconds.  Scrape the bottom and sides to incorporate dry ingredients, then stir in enough buttermilk to bring the dough together.  You may have buttermilk leftover.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 2 chunks.  Gently shape the chunks into domed disks and score each one into quarters.  Place on the prepared pan and brush liberally with egg wash (1 egg, 1 tablespoon water, pinch of salt whisked all together).

Bake for 30-35 minutes rotating the pan halfway through the baking time.  The soda bread should be shiny and golden brown.  To serve, cut or pull the disks apart where they were scored.

At the beginning of the week, a friend stopped by after work to share a cocktail and visit my (somewhat) new house.  She brought with her this bunch of yellow tulips.  They have been a source of bright, happiness all week long and a reminder that my own tulips should peek their little heads out of the ground in just a few short months.  The end of February can be pretty brutal in Chicago.  Yellow tulips from a friend put a BIG band aid on my winter blues.

Mid way through the week, another surprise.  A friend that I don’t see often enough tried to visit Whipped and found the site was down due to bandwidth issues.  He is a web savvy fellow and knew that might mean I had more visitors than usual to this blog.   To “celebrate” not being able to get to my blog due to excessive visitors, he sent me the book On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen.  The Amazon package showed up at my office unexpected and the treasure of a book inside lifted my spirits above the clouds.

It doesn’t take much to surprise someone with an unexpected gift.  For me, the effort and cost that went into these offerings was multiplied a dozen times in the good energy my friends gave me.  This weekend, I have been cooped up at home with an ugly flu bug unable to keep my social plans and falling behind with my “to-do” list.  But, I haven’t felt sorry for myself.  With these yellow tulips brightening my kitchen and an awesome book about my favorite subject… I am feeling lucky for the people in my life.

In the past year, I brought Deviled Eggs to two different potluck gatherings.  Like bright, beckoning eyes,  they stood out on the table surrounded by baked dips, layered Mexican creations, chips, pretzels and hummus plates.  Partygoers were excited and eager, the eggs disappeared fast.

There is something comforting and retro about deviled eggs.  Why aren’t they modern day cool?  Maybe the “cholesterol scare” of the 90’s set deviled eggs back just like the low-fat craze of the 80’s ousted many standbys and favorites.   In my book, as far as hors d’oeuvres are concerned, you can’t beat cocktail meatballs, pigs in a blanket and deviled eggs.

Though I love a simple, classic deviled egg, this version is a bit “dressed up” with relish and horseradish.  You can use the traditional sprinkle of paprika but I prefer the extra punch of ancho chili powder.  A little smokey chili aroma wafts up right before you pop these babies down the hatch.

Zippy Deviled Eggs

6 eggs
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
3 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
salt and pepper to taste
ancho chili powder, for garnish

Make perfect hard boiled eggs.  Peel them, cut them in half gently and scoop the yolks into a bowl.  Add mayonnaise, onion, relish, horseradish, mustard and salt and pepper.  Mix together well with a fork or use an electric mixer for creamier filling.  Spoon the mixture back into the egg whites.  Use a piping bag if you want a fancier look.  Sprinkle with Ancho Chili powder.

For me, one of those lessons was how to make a hard boiled egg.  When I went to college, there were a number of times I found myself in the kitchen at a standstill, lacking basics.  A quick call to mom or a flip through the index of a general cookbook (this was before days of laptops and wireless internet access in kitchens) and my Cooking 101 knowledge was slowly filled in.  

Surprisingly, it wasn’t until quite a bit later that I realized I had no idea how to make a hard boiled egg. My first point of reference was The New Basics Cookbook that I had received as a wedding gift.  Unbelievably, it did not include instructions for cooking hard boiled eggs.  Though I have made a few good recipes from the book, I must admit, I have never quite forgiven it.

The below instructions were not the first I found but they are the most foolproof.  I end up with nice, yellow yolks each time.  Should you find yourself without this basic lesson, I hope this helps!

How to Make Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs

Step 1: Place eggs in a high-sided sauce pan and fill with water at least 2 inches above the eggs.  You do not want to use eggs that are too fresh like farm fresh eggs because they are harder to peel.   

Step 2: Turn on high heat and keep an eye on the eggs.  When they reach a boil, cover the pan and remove the eggs from heat.  

Step 3: Keep the pan covered for 12 minutes.  If you are using very large eggs, you may want to increase it to 13 or 14 minutes. 

Step 4: Immediately remove the eggs from the hot water and put them into a bowl of very cold ice water to stop the cooking.  Leave them in the cold water at least 3 minutes.

Step 5: Remove the eggs from the water and eat immediately, make egg salad, whip up some deviled eggs or store them in the refrigerator.  I have read you should eat them in 5 days but I have eaten them after a week with no negative effect.

My husband often surprises me with some hard boiled egg artwork.  I highly suggest being creative with your eggs.  Though markings will be removed with the shell, somehow the eggs inside taste better!

Spinach and cheese pies, zucchini fritters, meatballs, baked feta topped with oregano and tomatoes, fried peppers, peasant salad and a new one to Whipped… Melitzanosalata or Greek Eggplant Dip/Spread.  (find the other Greek recipes here.) I once found a similar recipe on another blog and he had titled his recipe Eggplant Crack.  Indeed, if you like eggplant and garlic, this stuff will have you hooked after just one touch to the tongue.

I had always wondered about the history of the name eggplant vs. aubergine so before writing this post, I did a little research.  It turns out, that is a door I should not have tried to open.  There was talk of deadly poison, flatulence and mad apples.  In an effort to keep your desire and appetite in tact to sample this recipe, I will leave the details out.  If your curiosity is piqued, you can read more here and here.

Consider this recipe a suggestion and adjust the proportions of garlic and lemon to your taste.  If you have the ability to grill the eggplants, that will add extra flavor.  And, be careful not to over food process the dip.  You can even chop everything by hand if you prefer a chunkier texture.

Melitzanosalata – Greek Eggplant Dip

2 large eggplants
3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 medium-sized cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup quality olive oil
1/2 cup Italian parsley, chopped
salt & pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 F.  Use a fork to prick the eggplants all over.  Put them on a baking sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes.  Remove and drain on a paper towel if needed.  Let cool until they can be handled.  Cut them in half and scoop all the insides out into a food processor.  Add minced garlic and lemon juice.  Pulse a few times to combine.  Continue to pulse while adding a steady stream of olive oil.  Stir in parsley, salt and pepper.

I prefer hearty, steel cut oats to old-fashioned oats but I don’t prefer them enough to launch a 45 minute cooking endeavor in the morning.  Some things require a good short cut.  And, I have found one.  The guys at The Bitten Word suggested a little “night before” prep followed by only 10 minutes of cooking in the morning.   It worked!

I then got greedy and tried to find an even EASIER method.  Some say that a rice-cooker is fool proof for almost any grain. Wake up, put the water and oats in, go take a shower while oats cook.  Unfortunately, I came down this morning to find a gloppy, sloppy mess on my counter from a rice-cooker, bubble over mishap.  It may have been the small size of my rice-cooker that was to blame but the oats were still a little too chewy and the bottom layer of oats was stuck on the rice-cooker creating additional ugly clean up.  I’ll stick to the overnight soak.

Toppings?  I went with freshly toasted almonds, cranberries and maple syrup. Maybe it doesn’t make a lot of sense that I am NOT willing to wait 45 minutes for oats to cook but I AM willing to take the time to toast almonds first thing in the morning.  If you have a toaster oven, put the chopped almonds on the mini baking sheet and toast them.  Added benefit: Your house will smell amazing.  The mixed aromas of fresh brewed coffee and toasted almonds are aromatherapy for a winter morning.

Overnight Oatmeal with Almonds and Dried Cranberries

Food & Wine
Makes 6 Servings

1 1/2 cups steel-cut oats
6 cups water
1/4 cup chopped salted roasted almonds
1/4 cup dried cranberries
Brown sugar or pure maple syrup, for serving

In a large saucepan, boil the oats in the water for 1 minute. Cover and let stand overnight at room temperature. The next day, uncover the oats and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring frequently, until the oatmeal is cooked and creamy but still a little bit chewy, about 10 minutes. Spoon the oatmeal into bowls. Top with the chopped almonds and dried cranberries and sweeten to taste with brown sugar or pure maple syrup.

The prepared oatmeal can be refrigerated for up to 1 week. Rewarm in a microwave oven and thin with water if necessary before serving.

I have been dancing the tango with Red Velvet Cake for some years now.  Just when I think I can turn my face away and retire my quest for the perfect recipe, the scarlet vixen has me pressed to her cheek striding across the dance floor once again.

Our love affair is always reignited in the month of February.  The marketing machines of the world are pressing Valentine’s Day upon us and my palate cannot resist cupid’s arrow.  Festive, moist, red cake topped with classic cream cheese frosting… I am dazed with desire.

What is it about Red Velvet Cake that has captured my heart?  Well, even more than most cakes, there is an element of chemistry that makes this cake right.  That magical mixture of baking soda and vinegar gives me a mad-scientist high.  Second, this cake plays hard to get.  Recipes vary greatly and have often disappointed only fueling my longing to test, try, bake and separate the good from the bad.

This year’s Red Velvet Cake recipe comes from my sister.  If you have been reading my blog long, you will know she is the source of many of my winners.  I don’t usually favor the use of shortening and full bottles of food coloring in my baking.  But, as with everyone that we love, we make exceptions for the smallest incompatibilities.

Red Velvet Cake

Makes about 24 cupcakes or one 9-inch layer cake.

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 ounces red food coloring
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon white vinegar

Grease two 9 inch round pans or line muffin pans with paper liners for cupcakes (makes approx. 2 doz.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make a paste of cocoa and food coloring. Set aside.

Combine the buttermilk, salt and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and 1 1/2 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the cocoa mixture. Beat in the buttermilk mixture alternately with the flour, mixing just until incorporated. Stir together baking soda and vinegar, then gently fold into the cake batter.

Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

* For cupcakes, fill each liner approximately 2/3 full. Bake 15 – 20 minutes.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 lb. cream cheese, softened
2 sticks butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix cream cheese and butter and sugar until fluffy; about 5 minutes. Add vanilla

I am lucky in that many of my clients have become good friends. It makes for especially enjoyable client entertaining. During the holidays, I invited my pals from Revel along with my talented photographer friend for a dinner party. (side note: check out this yummy website I was lucky enough to help them with) Since one of the guests is a vegetarian, I decided to broaden my horizons and comprise a three-course vegetarian meal.

Deer in headlights.

How could I not have presentable vegetarian recipes in my dinner party repertoire?! I am a Midwestern girl born and bred on meat and potatoes married to a Greek who eats lamb on a spit but still, not one pretty, make-ahead main dish?! Disgusted by my limited range, I set out to devise a delicious vegetarian spread.

This vegetarian lasagna was the result of hours of internet searching and piecing together of tips and tricks from here and there. White vegetarian lasagna can be flavorless. I overcame that by infusing the milk with garlic before making the bechamel sauce and with very fresh organic vegetables and high quality Parmesan cheese.

The first course was a roasted tomato soup which was basically this sauce pureed with some vegetable stock.  I loved the contrast of starting with red tomato soup and then serving a lasagna without any. We ended the meal with these brownies.

This dish took about an hour to prepare and assemble but I made it ahead and put it back in the oven to reheat and it turned out very well. This recipe is not as “wet” as many lasagna recipes because I wanted it to stand pretty on the plate. The first notch in my vegetarian-dinner-party-recipes belt!

White Vegetarian Lasagna
Makes 8-10 servings

1 package thin, no-cook lasagna noodles
2 1/2 cups whole milk
1 cup vegetable broth
6 cloves garlic, cut in quarters
3 Tablespoons butter
5 Tablespoons flour
1 cup quality Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Pepper and Salt
4 Tablespoons olive oil
1 large zucchini, cut in 1/4 inch slices
1 summer squash, cut in 1/4 inch slices
1 bag of baby spinach
4 oz (about 1 cup) sliced mushrooms
1 small yellow onion, diced

Place the no-cook noodles in hot water and set aside to soften. Be careful that they don’t stick to each other. Heat milk and vegetable broth in a sauce pan until simmering. Add the garlic, cover and remove from heat. Let stand for at least 10 minutes.

To prepare for the layering of the vegetables, I sauteed each one by one and then put them in bowls to create a mise en place for easy assembly. Heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet. Add the zucchini and saute a few minutes, turning with a spatula until al dente. Remove from pan. Add another tablespoon of oil and saute the summer squash in the same way. If needed, add additional olive oil and then spinach. Toss with a spatula until just slightly wilted. Remove from pan. Finally, add additional oil if needed and add onion and mushroom cooking for just a few minutes.

Remove the garlic pieces from the milk and broth mixture with a slotted spoon. In another sauce pan, melt butter. When melted, whisk in the flour. Slowly whisk the garlic-infused milk mixture into the roux. Cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat and stir in nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. (Don’t be shy with the salt, I think it usually needs about a few teaspoons)

Assembly time! I used a 10 inch square pan but a 9 x 13 should also work. Spread about 1/2 cup of sauce over the bottom of the pan. Place a layer of noodles on the bottom. Spread the zucchini over the layer of noodles. Drizzle about 1 cup of sauce over it. Add another layer of noodles. Add the mushroom and onion mixture and 1/3 cup of the Parmesan cheese. Add the next layer of noodles. Add the spinach and 1 cup of white sauce. Another layer of noodles. Finally, the spinach layer and 1/3 cup of Parmesan. Top with a final layer of noodles, the rest of the sauce and a sprinkling of the remaining 1/3 cup of cheese.

Cover pan with foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 10 or 15 minutes until top is browned. Let cool before slicing and serving. If you are making ahead, decrease cooking time by 15 minutes and reheat in the oven before serving.