Whoopee Pies!

"Congress shall make no law... abridging... the right of the people peaceably to assemble..."

That’s one of the things that’s so great about this country of mine. The right to public assembly and peaceful protest. So obviously you’re thinking whoopee pies now, right?

Wait, what?

If you thought the above somehow linked protests and whoopee pies, you’d be right. Nutshell: Maine is thinking of making the whoopee pie their state dessert. PA goes, “say, what?” = Protest. I’m not even from here, but I know how near and dear the WP is to Pennsylvania’s heart. Naturally, I had to see this rally in Penn Square, just outside Central Market. Small to be sure, but it had plenty of delicious looking signs waving in the ohmygodCOLD breeze. And a news crew. Yep.

"You shall never take my Whoopie Pies!" cried man.

Most signs proudly displayed the WP icon, though one said “God hates Gobs” in reference to what some called the Pennsylvania Dutch term gob for whoopee pie. No one I know has ever heard them called that, but hey. My favorite sign, which sadly I didn’t get a picture of, retaliated by proposing we claim the Maine lobster as the PA state seafood. In your face, Maine.

So of course I had to make whoopee pies. Are you crazy? I had two recipes in mind and went full speed ahead. It also worked out nicely because they both called for shortening, and I’ve got a ton leftover from my Christmas molasses cookies.

Whoopie Pies!
From here

These tasted great. I was expecting the cookies to spread and round out as they baked, but be aware that they stay pretty much the same size. Also, if you want that perfect round top, you'll have to shape them. I just did the drop method and you can tell. Instead of all-purpose flour, I substituted all whole wheat and they came out great. Anywho, they were soft and STAYED soft, which is perfect.

Now, I was a bit leery in regards to the filling. It tasted like nothing more than sweetened Crisco. Granted, that's what it is, but that's not really tasty. However, once you sandwich those babies up, you won't regret it. I went easy on the filling because I'm really not into gobs (no pun intended) of icing, but it's up to you. Personally, I divided the icing in half and flavored one half with peanut butter and the other with an espresso/cappuccino mix. Another word to the wise, there's a ton of this stuff, so if you're going to go light, only make half the filling recipe.

Now, as awesome as these are, I've got to finish eating them now. Starting tomorrow, I'm taking a one month gluten-free challenge. Wish me luck!

Buffalo Chicken Stromboli

Everyone has those days. You know, those days. The days you just want to order pizza and veg for a while because life never runs smoothly. Well, I had a car accident the night before I made these. Nothing dangerous, just a little "welcome to Pennsylvania, oh yeah, we have snow" sort of thing. So I was trying to take care of all those things that fall by the wayside since I was too afraid to drive in snow again and took the day off.

Still, the thought of someone bringing food to me sounded way too good. Until I remembered that I didn't want to do that really. Okay, well maybe I was just trying to convince myself that I didn't. Long story short, I had the stuff and the idea for buffalo chicken stromboli got lodged so deeply in my brain that I had to make it right that second. Plus, it'd be faster than delivery.

First step, make the dough. I decided that a quick pizza dough like this recipe was my jumping off point. So let's start here.

Stromboli Dough

1 .25 oz packet of yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 cup warm water
2 1/2 cups flour (they suggest bread flour, I've only got AP, whatever)
1 tsp salt
2 T olive oil
1-2 T italian seasoning

Dissolve sugar in warm water and add yeast. Just make sure it's not hot enough to kill it. Let sit for 10 minutes, until frothy and cloudy.

Measure the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and stir. Once the yeast is ready, dump in and knead into a smooth dough. Let sit 5 more minutes.

While you're waiting for the yeast and stuff to marinate, start on your filling.

Buffalo Chicken Filling

2 cups chopped, cooked chicken breast
1 cup grated or chopped cheese (Monterey jack here, but any cheese would be good)
4 T Hooter's sauce or wing sauce of your choice
1-2 T chopped chives, optional
1-2 T chopped banana peppers, optional
1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped celery, optional

Mix the above together in a bowl. If you're using Hooter's sauce, melt it before you try to mix it. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Preheat oven to 450 F. Now roll out your pizza dough into a vague rectangle. This will make roughly a two person stromboli. Or calzone. What's the difference? Spoon filling in the center of your dough. Fold over sides to tuck in a seal the filling on all sides. If you have left over dough, I suggest parmesan breadsticks.

Slap in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until dough is baked through and filling is warm.

Slice, eat, veg.

Mom's Cheeseball

And I mean that in the literal sense, not the corny joke sense. I was forced invited to a Christmas party this year. Now, I'm a good Southern girl and I'm terrified to show up to some one's house without food in hand. Now this was after my two day cookie bake-a-thon, so I wanted something low key and easily snackable. Plus, I don't think the holidays are complete without a cheese ball.

My mom has a trusty recipe that I remember from way back when. Since it only has a few key ingredients that are simple and leave lots of room for playing with additions, I chose that route. Her recipe starts with 8 ounces of cream cheese and half a cup of butter, both softened. I added a bit more. After you mix the crap out of them, I threw in a few tablespoons of powdered ranch dressing then spooned it into a cling-wrap bedecked bowl. Once you've shaped it into a ball (or log, or swan, ect), pop in the refrigerator overnight covered well. And yes, I totally bragged to people how brilliant I was to put it in a round shaped bowl. Shaped and stored without fuss. I'm awesome.

Next day, coat with softened sharp cheddar spread and cover with nuts, bacon bits, jelly-beans, whatever your heart desires. Here's the loveliness after the wolves descended.

My mom says she's got a great recipe from my aunt for another cheese ball. Since I think cheese balls should be a year round thing, I may have to try that soon. Do you guys have any favorites?

Christmas Baking 2010!

I thought I wasn't going to do it this year, but of course I have an office to bake for now. Isn't that handy? I made 5 types of cookies along with a few other miscellaneous bits for holiday parties. That I totally went to. Can you believe it? Also, since I'm broke, I tripped the geek fantastic and monetized the cookies. That way you can see how much thought I put into what they cost on a per batch and per cookie basis. Yes.

So let's get this show on the road! I'm going to start with my favorites.

Soft Molasses Cookies

These are ridiculously tasty and my favorite kind of spicy. In a word, perfect. The only thing is that I'd like to figure out how to make them without Crisco, but while maintaining the same softness.

Recipe:

 •3/4 cup shortening

•3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

•1 large egg

•1/2 cup molasses

•2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

•1/4 teaspoon salt

•2 teaspoons baking soda

•1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

•1 teaspoon ground ginger

•1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

•granulated sugar for rolling cookies

In a mixing bowl with electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and molassus until well blended.

In another bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, and spices. Stir into the creamed mixture until blended. Chill for 1 hour, or until firm.
Heat oven to 350°. Lightly grease a baking sheet.
Shape the dough into small balls about 3/4 inch in diameter; roll in the granulated sugar and place on the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 1 to 2 inches between cookies. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, or until set. Cool in pan on a rack for 2 minutes; remove to a rack to cool completely.

It says it makes about 4 dozen cookies, but mine made 18 cookies that were larger than expected.
Batch: $1.36
Cookie: $.075

Cornmeal Cookies with Cranberries

I have no idea why the idea to make cornmeal cookies popped in my head, but apparently the recipes are floating out there. These were surprisingly buttery and rich, yet not overwhelming. I think these would make a decadent cookie with tea. I replaced the raisins in the original recipe with dried cranberries and formed the dough into a log, so I could slice and bake.

Recipe:

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup dried fruit

In a large bowl, blend butter and sugar until creamy. Add egg and beat well.

In another bowl, stir together flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt; gradually add to butter mixture. Add vanilla and blend thoroughly. Stir in the optional raisins.

Form dough into ball, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and chill until firm, about 1 hour.

Roll out dough on well-floured board to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut with cookie cutters (2 1/2 inches in diameter) and place 1 inch apart on lightly greased cookie sheet.

Bake in 350 degree F (175 degrees C) oven for 10-12 minutes or until edges are golden. Store in airtight container.

Recipe says this will make around 3 dozen cookies. I made exactly 31, so true to form.
Batch: $ 2.93
Cookie: $.094


The following don't have recipes because I don't think anyone needs to rush out and make them. Not that they're not tasty, but there are better out there.

Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies

I was hoping for something sinfully rich, but these came out crunchy. Call me a soft cookie snob, but nothing tastes as rich in a crunchy cookie as it does in a soft. Plus, these spread much larger than expected. Not that these didn't taste good, but I think I'll try something different for the next time I want chocolate on chocolate.
Batch: $3.68
Cookie: $.136

Oatmeal Cookies

These were good and suprisingly flavorful. I used some cinnamon-spiced cashews I had to fill in for the nut part and didn't add any dried fruit. However, these came out crunchy. Then after they were crunchy, my tiny balls of oatmeal deliciousness were hard as rocks. Luckily, they hardened after everyone had eaten their share.

Batch: $2.53
Cookie: $.07

Stained Glass Window Sugar Cookies

This was my only roll out cookie and I've wanted to make these for a few years. Word to the wise, if you want a pretty, mottled stained glass look, make sure you buy hard candies that are thin enough to smash up. I didn't. Still, they were pretty and I didn't get to have any of these since I made EXACTLY enough. Just looking though, I wasn't impressed.

Batch: $3.27
Cookie: $.156


Is it telling that not only did I figure out cost per cookie, but that I also carried it out to three decimal places?

Yeah. I think it is.

Cheesy Potatoes au Gratin

Remember my buy one get one sale on onions. Welcome to 10 pounds of potatoes. Luckily, I went to a potluck with a few co-workers (yes, I totally feel smug typing that) and I brought along the starch.

Now I'm pretty sure the last time I made potatoes au gratin, I lived in Tifton. I'm also pretty sure the cheese sauce for this recipe tastes a gajillion times better than the whole pan of those other ones. Why did I never think of throwing a cheesy bechamel on sliced potatoes? Why don't I ever think of potatoes au gratin period?

I used this recipe as a jumping off point and threw together my basic cheese sauce for a topping. Let's start with four potatoes, peeled and sliced. Throw half in the bottom of a cassarole dish. Throw them in a big one if you'll be jostling it around the company frige for half the day.

Now start melting 4-5 T of butter in a skillet over med-high. Add the same amount of flour and whisk until a satisfying mustard color. Whisk in 3 cups of dairy. I needed to use up my heavy cream, so I thinned it with water. Then chuck in two pinches of salt, a dash of the following: pepper, chili pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder. Dump in about 2 cups of cheese and stir until smooth. I used colby-jack this time and WOW was it awesome.

Pour half your sauce over the potatoes in your dish. Arrange the rest of the potato slices and top with remaining sauce.

Bake at 400F for 1 hour covered with foil. After 1 hour, cover with breadcrumbs and Parm, or more cheese, and bake uncovered for another half an hour.

Serve to friends and be rowdy.

Setting Up with Onions and Soup

Well, I haven't been here in chilly PA too long but I've already managed to catch a good sale. Buy one get one on 3 pound bags of onions. Oh yeah. Chopped and separated into 1 cup servings and waiting in the freezer for whenever I need them. I saved the peels, in case you were wondering, for lovely stock later on. You guys are impressed, aren't you? You should be.

Boo. Fucking. Yah.

That's what 16 measured cups of frugal ambition looks like.

And this is what a mutant onion looks like.

Well, minus one cup to make my favorite kale soup again. The chorizo up here is different, but I managed to pull off the same wonderful flavor that makes the office smell like heaven. I might get fired purely out of jealousy.

On another note, let's rejoice that I have a camera again! It'll take a while to learn the kinks, but I'm well on my way to a blogful of half-assed scenery. You're welcome.

I'm in PA!

Lancaster, PA that is. Around here, the locals pronounce it Lank-iss-ter, so be in the know and look worldly. I've been here just a few weeks, started the new job, and am trying to unpack. In addition, I'm trying to make the transition from electric to gas stoves, so expect hilarity soon.

PLUS! I've got a new camera on the way and a whole slew of restaurants to catch you up on. So be on the lookout because I'll be back in a few!

Two things that suck and one that doesn't

Okay. It’s been a while and I keep meaning to blog, but get sidetracked. Let me give the rundown.


1. Got dumped.

2. Got a paid volunteer position in PA and am trying to get everything ready to move in less than a month. Thought of moving from GA to PA in this timeframe is stressful to say the least.

3. Got my apartment broken into. Today. Noticed that I am missing my camera and a cup I keep my spare change in. Not missing anything else of value for some odd reason. Missing camera severely pisses me off, not because my camera was valuable, but because I still had pictures on it.

Keep wanting to blog and not doing it. Now that camera is gone, have a feeling that it won’t until I get it replaced. Am leaving to pout now.