sprinkles make a party!

last week i saw this recipe for confetti cookies on smitten kitchen, and i decided they were just the thing for ruby's ice cream themed birthday party! 

sprinkles on the ice cream...sprinkles on the cookies...sprinkles = a fiesta in your mouth! 

(sidebar: do you call these sprinkles or jimmies? when i was a kid in philadelphia we called them jimmies, but don't think they're called that here in the bay area. anyone?)

when i first found the recipe on smitten kitchen, she mentioned that there are no real rainbow sprinkles, and after trips to safeway, farmer joe's, beverly's, michael's, berkeley bowl? yep. red, orange, yellow, green, pink and white do not a rainbow make! where is the blue? the purple? after wasting waaaaaay too much time looking for blue and purple sprinkles i finally compromised with adding in some blue sprinkles from an small, over-priced container at michael's. (where are the baking supply stores in oakland?!)

these cookies are a cinch to bake, pretty as can be, and tasty (which often sugar cookies are not at all!) this is essentially the king arthur flour recipe for sugar cookies, rolled in sprinkles, and flattened slightly. here they are before they went in the oven, so instagramable...

and viola! after 9 minutes in the oven, they popped out looking like this!

you can get the recipe along with commentary & pretty pictures on smitten kitchen or follow it here:

Confetti Cookies from Smitten Kitchen
Recipe barely adapted from King Arthur, technique and language were tinkered with

If you’re using a food processer, no need to soften the butter or cream cheese first. If using an electric hand- or stand mixer, you’ll want them softened before you mix the dough. If you’re using vanilla bean, which I really love here, I find you can maximize the flavor you get out of it by rubbing the vanilla bean seeds right into your sugar, distributing it evenly and giving it a extra flavor-releasing abrasion. Then use the sugar as written below.

Yield: 4 dozen 2 1/2-inch cookies

3 cups (375 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon fine sea or table salt
1 cup (8 ounces, 225 grams or 2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/4 cup (2 ounces, 55 grams or 1/4 of an 8-ounce brick) cream cheese
1 1/4 cups (250 grams) granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract or 1/2 a vanilla bean, split and scraped (see Note up top)
1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
1 cup rainbow sprinkles

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking large sheets with parchment paper.

To make in a food processor: Place flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in the work bowl and pulse a few times to blend. Add butter and cream cheese in large chunks, plus sugar and blend until mixture is powdery. Add egg, vanilla and almond extracts and run machine until the dough balls together. You’ll probably need to scrape it down once or twice to get the mixture even.

To make with an electric mixer: Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl and whisk to blend. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat cream cheese, butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg and extracts and blend again. Add flour mixture and beat just until flour disappears. In some cases, this dough will feel too soft to roll into balls in your hands; if so, let it chill in the fridge for 20 minutes or so before using.

Both methods: Scoop balls of dough — I like these cookies best with a #40, or 1 1/2 tablespoon, scoop; the texture is less dynamic when made smaller — and roll them briefly in the palms of your hands before dropping them in a bowl of rainbow sprinkles and gently rolling to coat them evenly. I find that the sprinkles adhere much better to tacky exterior of balls of dough that have been briefly warmed by your hands — trust me here.

Transfer balls of sprinkle-coated dough to baking sheets at least two inches apart. Use the bottom of a drinking glass to press down on the cookies until they are about 1/4 to 1/2-inch tall. If you see any bare spots in the sprinkles that bother you, you can sprinkle a few more on top. Bake for 9 to 10 minutes until they look underbaked but lightly golden underneath. [If they’re not quite soft in the center, they will be fully crisped through the next day.] Let set on the baking sheet on a rack for a few minutes before transferring to cooling racks to cool the rest of the way. Repeat with remaining cookie dough.

the best ever.

it is a dreary friday here in oakland, and a big rainstorm is expected this weekend (in june?!)

we were supposed to go camping with m's school this weekend, 

but the rain is forcing us to change plans.

rainy weather is stay-inside-and-cozy-up weather,

and often that includes eating comfort food.

this, my friends, is the perfect rainy weather meal,

and the best mac n' cheese you'll ever eat.

(i promise)

this recipe hails from our dear friend nicola, 

one of my very favorite people in the world 

(and don't even get me started on her two daughters, 

who are also glorious) 

who now unfortunately lives *way* too far away in england. 

(every time i make this recipe i pretend she's still here and sitting at the table eating with us.)

nicola likes cheese, so feel free to adjust the amount in this recipe. 

what i inevitably end up doing is using the same amount of cheese but using a whole pound of pasta.

• 1/2 lb. rigatoni or macaroni
• 1/2-3/4 lb. sharp cheddar
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper (or lots more if you are me)
• 1/3 c. olive oil
• 3 1/4 c. milk
• 1/2 c. flour
• 1 small tomato (optional-i don't add this unless they are in season)

directions:

• boil water for macaroni. preheat oven to 375.
• grate cheese; crush and mince garlic
• boil pasta. when finished, drain and set aside
• add olive oil to large frying pan over medium heat. add garlic; saute for about 1 minute. turn off heat.
• stir in flour until it isa thick, pasty consistency.
• add 1/2 cup milk into paste, mix until smooth. add 1/2 cup additional milk; mix until smooth again. add another milk. stir over medium heat. add salt & pepper (important to stir continuously and add milk slowly to prevent lumps.) add remainder of milk and keep stirring until thick.
• turn off heat. add cheese; stir until melted (reserving some to sprinkle over top)
• add macaroni. put mixture in casserole or oven-safe pan. slice tomato & place over mixture. sprinkle with cheese. bake in preheated 375 oven for 15 minutes. for 2-3 minutes, cook on broil to ensure a crispy top.

(i've thought about adding panko or bread crumbs to the top, but haven't tried it yet.)

happy eating & happy friday!

you can thank you me later

in the fall, when matt + i flew to nyc for a few days,

we ate well.

(good thing we walked like 42 miles a day or i would've gained 15 pounds. no exaggeration.)

at one of the dinner spots

we had these

amazing

nuggets of delicious

called devils on horseback.

when we were planning the menu for m's hearing party,

i remembered how good they were,

so i searched for a recipe online.

it popped up right away on martha stewart's website,

so i scanned it and added the ingredients to our shopping list:

prunes, cheese, bacon.

fast forward to our kitchen prep.

matt starts making them and says, "uh, sooz? these are supposed to be dates, not prunes."

oops.

so,

we used the prunes anyway to see what would happen.

guess what?

they were so delicious

that i could've eaten half this tray.

so if you want the real recipe, martha has it here 

(plus an instructional video) 

or go freestyle, like we did, 

and do this (although we doubled it, and they are so good that if i were you, i'd double it too):

• 
  
• Devils on Horseback, Prinz version
• 24 prunes
• 12 slices bacon, halved crosswise
• 1/3 cup crumbled Stilton cheese
• toothpicks
• parchment paper (not necessary, but helpful for clean-up)
• 
  

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place toothpicks in a small bowl filled with water; let soak 15 minutes. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (if you have it) and fit with a wire rack; set aside.
2. Halve prunes lengthwise being careful not to cut all the way through. Place a small amount of cheese in the center of each prune. Wrap a piece of bacon around each prune. Secure bacon with a toothpick.
3. Place prunes on prepared baking sheet. Bake until bacon is cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes. 
   Proceed to eat way more than you really should, but enjoy every single bite.

sick day (and cookies)

here's our morning. me, in bed, while the girls play on top of me.

i went to bed at 7 last night in the hopes that my body would recuperate by 6 this morning so i could drive m down to school. alas, it didn't really work that way. in miraculous news, ruby must have sensed that i needed to sleep for a very long time- she slept until 1 in the morning, ate, and then went back to sleep until 4:55 am. ate again, then she went back to sleep again until 7. i know this isn't the most gripping blog material, but for those of you who have been also feeling the pain of little ones who wake up at all hours or who want to snack all the night long (yes, i'm talking about you nancy & jennifer), i had to share my good news.

meanwhile, i am behind in my 30 posts in 30 days promise. don't worry- i'll catch up with a flurry of posts. my iphoto is acting up so i need to find the pictures from the last few months that just up and disappeared on me.

i've posted the best chocolate chip cookie recipe ever. and i've posted the most amazing brownie recipe ever too. (seriously, don't even bother with any other ones, and just stick to these two.) then this morning my friend jenny asked if my recipe for ultimate cookies (a uc davis coffeehouse bakery treat) was on my blog. i checked, and lo and behold (as my mom would say), it isn't.

so here you go, my friends. the perfect wintery treat:
ultimate cookies

• 1 cup (room temperature) butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 teaspoons mint extract
• 1 egg
• 3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 Tablespoon milk
• 1 1/2-2 cups chocolate chips

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. in a small bowl combine flour & baking soda and set aside. (i actually never do this; i inevitable just dump in the flour & baking soda later and my cookies turn out just fine)
3. in a large bowl cream butter and brown and white sugars. add vanilla, mint extract & egg and beat until fluffy.
4. fold in milk & dry ingredients until blended. fold in chocolate chips.
5. drop by rounded spoonfuls onto cookie sheet. bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes (and don't overbake!! these continue to harden up after you take them out of oven)
6. don't forget to sample some dough & some finished cookies before you share them with the rest of the world. happy baking!

hey, cupcake

it was this little one's birthday party on saturday.
i can't believe it has been a year already!

(great party-super mellow in the park. if i have a chance i'll post more pictures later)

but in the meantime, let's stick with what's important: treats.

rebecca and i made cupcakes,

a recipe i'd had at a friend's birthday party a few months ago.

they were more brownie-like

(which i like, since i am not really a huge cake fan; i see cake more as a vehicle for frosting)

and delicious.

yummy yummy.

the recipe for both the cupcakes & frosting come from martha stewart.

(i say bookmark this one because a good cupcake is hard to find!)

here is the cupcake recipe at the source

Chocolate cupcakes

Makes 12

• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sour cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners.
2. Into a medium bowl, sift together cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each, then beat in vanilla. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with sour cream and beginning and ending with flour.
3. Pour batter into cups, filling each 3/4 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.
4. Cool in pan 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, then spread with Easy White Icing using a table knife or small offset spatula. Decorate with sprinkles, if desired.

you can find the buttercream frosting recipe here,

or here if you are too lazy to hop over to her site:

Basic Buttercream Frosting
INGREDIENTS
3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 pound confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Food coloring (optional)

PREPARATION

1. Beat butter with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to medium. Add sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating after each addition, about 5 minutes. (After every 2 additions, increase speed to high, and beat for 10 seconds, then reduce speed to medium-high).
2. Add vanilla, and beat until buttercream is smooth. Use immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. (If refrigerated before using, bring to room temperature, and beat on low speed until smooth.)

(as you can see my daughter was a big fan)

happy weekend!

so, i thought i'd supplement my serious posts this week with a quick and amazingly delicious pie recipe. you know, for that superfun barbecue you are going to on monday. or perhaps you don't have any weekend plans, but just for yumminess sake you decide to bake. first, i should declare that before i ate this pie i was not gung ho rah rah rah about blueberry pie. i mean, nothing against it, i just probably would never order it in a restaurant or anything. and then, a few years ago, on a trip back to visit family and friends in philadelphia, i encountered this incredible pie. it is such a quick and easy recipe (you do most of it on the stove top in about ten minutes & then bake it for ten minutes more); with such delicious results; why not try it?

ingredients:

• 1 baked pie shell (follow directions on packaging if you use a pre-made frozen one, or use simple pie crust recipe & bake)
  
• 4 cups blueberries, divided (fresh or frozen)
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon butter

Put 2 cups blueberries into baked pie shell, reserving the others. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Cook remaining ingredients (2 reserved cups blueberries through water) on medium in saucepan on stove and heat until thick (do not get impatient and remove from heat while mixture is still watery; you will have a watery pie). Add tablespoon of butter and cool.

Pour cooled mixture over blueberries in piecrust.

Combine following ingredients either in food processor or by crumbling together with fingers to form crumb topping:

• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, cut into chunks

Sprinkle crumbs evenly over blueberry mixture. Bake at 425 for ten minutes. Cool.

Hello, a mere ten minutes to the land of delicious? That's right, my friends; once your belly is full, feel free to leave your thank yous in the comment section.

lists 2008, continued

well, it's that time again...end of the year lists. i usually send out christmas cards with some sort of venn diagram, chart, list, or letter encapsulating our year around these parts: reading material, meals, activities, and so on. this year i went more on the simple side (well, not so much, because i printed all of our cards and so it ended up being a very long-and-not-yet-completed process), and refrained from including anything in our card. that said, it's kind of nice to think back over the year and commemorate what has captured our imagination, time, and energy. as i've mentioned, i'll continue this lists up until the end of the month.

today's list...our favorite cookbooks of the year:

matt: 

• the art of simple food, alice waters             
  

his vote for best recipes- poached egg with curly endive salad, roast chicken, polenta, carrot soup, almond tart

when i asked matt which his favorite recipe was out of this cookbook, he said," there are just so many, wifey, i just can't handle it, you know what i'm sayin'?")

• the central cuisines of mexico, diana kennedy

susannah:

• tartine, elizabeth pruiett + chad robertson

my vote for best recipes- shortbread, lemon bars, fresh fruit galette

• the art of simple food, alice waters

best recipes- onion panade, risotto bianco, eggplant caviar, italian meatballs

• jamie at home + jamie's italy, jamie oliver

these two cookbooks also get my gold star for best food photography and most entertaining read

• staffmeals from chantrelle, david waltuck + melecia phillips

this hand me down we got randomly last year is still one of my favorites; the recipes are easy and homey, and originated from the staff meals before the evening meal service at the new york restaurant chantrelle. this is a great cookbook to have on hand, especially when cooking for a group of people or when you need to throw good food together fast!

my other favorite recipe locations: epicurious.com, cooking light + cook's illustrated magazines

happy eating!

fall food

last october on our anniversary, matt & i went to chez panisse cafe in berkeley for lunch. alice waters, who started chez panisse in berkeley in 1971, had just come out with a cookbook, the art of simple food. i bought it for matt to celebrate 5 years of wedded bliss (and 5 years of good meals- mostly. the lentils and pita escapade of '03 will hopefully never be repeated). in the year since, it has become our go to cookbook in its simplicity, clarity, and recipe yumminess. 

one of our favorites is the carrot soup, which is so simple, but so good. (hence the title of the cookbook i suppose...) soup is especially perfect on a fall day, and a great thing to have bubbling on the stove while you wait for election results. (add in a grilled cheese sandwich on the side and it is pretty much autumnal perfection.)

happy eating!

carrot soup - 8 servings

from alice waters, the art of simple food

melt in a heavy-bottomed pot:

4 tbl (1/2 stick) butter

when it starts to foam, add:
2 onions, sliced
1 thyme sprig

cook over medium-low heat until tender, about 10 minutes. 

add: 2.5 lbs carrots, peeled and sliced (about 6 cups)

season with salt

cook for 5 minutes. cooking the carrots with the onions for a while builds flavor. 

add: 6 cups chicken broth

bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer until the carrots are tender, about 30 minutes. when done, season with salt to taste, and puree if desired

for a smooth soup, use a blender and puree until smooth. (we like to part-way blend to leave a few carrot chunks)

(by the way, no, those yummy looking carrots are not from our garden... sadly, our evil scavenging squirrels would have stolen them long before they got this big)