Recipe: Ginger Peach Cobbler with Cinnamon Swirl Biscuits

This cobbler is my favorite thing to make with peaches. The original recipe was the first peach cobbler I ever made, and I’ve tried lots of others since then, and this remains by and far my favorite.

The biscuit portion of other recipes always comes out too dough-y for my tastes. I like the way this one gets a crispness on the outside. It’s almost a combination between the traditional cobbler biscuit dough and a pie crust.

Plus, it looks really pretty with the swirled biscuits on top,  so it will  totally impress people at your next BBQ.

Here’s my twist on the original recipe, which mostly involves less sugar… I like to let the peaches be their sweet selves:Read more…

Recipe: Carrot Cake with Maple Cream Cheese frosting

This is The Best Carrot Cake of All Time. I shit you not. I got the original from Bon Appétit, but I’ve modified it to it’s current excellence.

The original was super oily, so I cut the oil and subbed in some yogurt, so it’s still super moist.

maple cream cheese iced carrot cake
maple cream cheese iced carrot cake

Ingredients

Cake:

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or a mix of nutmeg, ginger, and allspice)
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup yogurt
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 4 large eggs
  • 3 cups grated peeled carrots (about 10 average sized carrots)
  • (optional) 2 tablespoons crystallized gingerRead more…

Recipe: Muffnuts aka Muffin Donuts

A while back I was pondering one of nature’s biggest mysteries… the doughnut. I thought to myself that there must be a way to recreate the donut at home, in a somewhat healthier manner. I.E. Not fried.

Don’t get me wrong, I love a classic fried doughnut, but they’re really only worth all that evil fattiness if they’re fresh. And I’m not in the habit of getting up at the crack of dawn, which makes getting fresh ‘nuts from the local donut shop hit or miss. Usually miss.

It didn’t take long to find a recipe for a donut-muffin hybrid. A doffin, a duffin, a monut, a muffnut. Call it what you will, I was intrigued.

Last night, having a hankering for something sweet, I decided to test drive the muffnut, and I am pleased to tell you, it passed with flying colors.

 

Behold... the MUFFNUT!

 

Here’s the recipe, originally from Baking Bites.

(I love the explanations in the recipe. I’m a habitual fiddler when it comes to recipes, so I appreciate someone telling me why I should not fiddle with certain aspects beforehand.)

NOTE: After a lot of comments from other muffnut testers, I thought I should point out that these muffnuts are most similar to cake donuts. If you’re expecting a Krispy Kreme style yeast donut, you’ll likely be disappointed.

 

Cinnamon Sugar Muffnuts

  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (I used 1 cup white and 1/2 cup white whole wheat with excellent results)
  • 2 tsp baking power
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg (fresh! oh yeah!)
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

(for rolling)

  • 1 TB butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional… you can mix it up and try different spice combos, too!)

 

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a muffin tin with cooking spray or vegetable oil.
  2. In a large bowl, beat together sugar and egg until light in color, about 1 minute.
  3. Mix in the oil, milk, and vanilla.
  4. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Pour into egg mixture and stir to combine. A few lumps are okay.
  5. Divide batter evenly into 12 muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full.
  6. Bake for 14-18 minutes, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
  7. While muffins are baking, melt butter and pour remaining 1/2 cup of sugar into a small bowl. Mix in the cinnamon.
  8. When muffins are done, lightly brush the top of each with some melted butter, remove from the pan and roll in sugar.
  9. Cool on a sheet of parchment paper. (I cooled mine on a wire rack like the original recipe stated, and they kind of stuck. Boo.)

 

Fresh out of the oven, they are nice and crispy on the outside, very much like a donut.

The next day, they’re softer… and somehow they taste even more like a donut, to me.

I can’t wait until fall, because I’ll be experimenting with apple and pumpkin muffnuts, and replacing the coffee with my favorite donut companion, apple cider.

Recipe: Chicken + Spinach Enchiladas

These are not your traditional slathered-in-red-sauce enchiladas. They’re better.

When I first found this recipe and decided to try it, I thought the sauce sounded too simple. Milk, chicken broth, peppers, and spinach? Isn’t that going to be bland? Do I even like corn tortillas? As it turns out, this is one of my all time favorite recipes. I have been known to make it twice in a month because it’s so damn good.

I’ve tweaked the original recipe a little. If you want to see the untweaked version by Rick Bayless, it’s here: http://www.rickbayless.com/recipe/view?recipeID=167

Read more…

Recipe: Wonton Soup

I made the full recipe shown below and between the two of us, Mr. Smarmy ate all of it in one day. That’s how awesome it is.

Making the wontons is a little time consuming, but it isn’t difficult. Plus, you’re making a TON.

Mmmm... soup!

I used an Emeril recipe as a guide, but put my own spin on it.

Makes 6-8 servings

Ingredients!

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 2 tablespoons minced ginger
  • 9 scallions, chopped
  • 10 cups chicken broth (homemade is always better, trust me)
  • 1/2 pound ground chicken
  • 1 egg
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon sambal oelek (or crushed red pepper)
  • about 30-40 wonton wrappers
  • 1 1/2 cups baby spinach
  • 4 oz sliced shiitake mushrooms
  • 1 small can or package sliced bamboo shoots
  • salt and pepper to tasteRead more…