White Sheet Cake

This is the cake that we always ask Paul to make for our birthdays. It is so simple and so delicious. The key is to put the frosting on while the cake is warm so it soaks in really nice!

White Texas Sheet Cake

1 cup butter

1 cup water

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups white sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

  

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, bring 1 cup butter or margarine and water to a boil. Remove from heat, and stir in flour, sugar, eggs, sour cream, 1 teaspoon almond extract, salt, and baking soda until smooth. Pour batter into a greased 10 x 15 x 1 inch baking pan.
2. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 20 to 22 minutes, or until cake is golden brown and tests done. 

Frosting

1 package of cream cheese, 1 box of powdered sugar, 1 tbsp. butter and 1/2 tsp. almond extract

Brown butter and combine with other ingredients.  Spread over warm cake.

This Eggplant Parm is truly the best!

The best recipe that is not a recipe!

From: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/article/eggplant-parm-groat

You know those recipes we hold near and dear to our hearts because they are really the greatest ever of all time? Well, we’re using this series as an opportunity to wax poetic about them. The eggplant parm of test kitchen manager Brad Leone's mom, to be exact (he's been talking about it for months). They truly are the greatest recipe of all time (aka GROAT). Here’s why.

Mom’s eggplant parm is one of the best dishes I’ve ever had. It all starts with a homemade sauce; this step cannot be skipped. For Mich (that's my mom) it's olive oil, onion, garlic, and whole peeled tomatoes, likely a little basil, and maybe some dried oregano. Cook, cook, cook until the onions fall apart. Not too much onion, you're not making stew.

Next, she uses thick, peeled circles of eggplant, like ½–¾ inch thick. Spread the slices out in a single layer and sprinkle them with salt. This helps draw the water out of the eggplant and helps maintain a meaty consistency during and after frying. I like to be able to taste the eggplant and not just thin layers of breaded mystery.

From there, it's all about frying in olive oil in a cast iron pan that’s bigger than most dinner plates. The old egg-wash-and-breadcrumb combo (mom likes the fine stuff in the cardboard can) does the trick. I like a little black pepper in the egg but not sure how mom feels about that. After frying, drain the eggplant on paper towels to help absorb some of the extra oil that it soaked up. This is super important: eggplant can act like a sponge and soak up whatever you put it in, especially oil.

Now, I prefer the Parm layered in a rectangular baking dish, like a 9 x 13. Put a little sauce on the bottom first, then a layer of eggplant, then freshly grated mozzarella cheese and a little grated Parm. Season with salt and pepper then add another layer of sauce. Repeat until you're out of space or eggplant. It’s a nice idea to use block mozzarella grated in between the layers and then use fresh mozzarella on top for melting and browning. Then bake at 375˚ for about 45 minutes—you may need to broil the top for a minute or two to get the cheese bubbly and golden.

The big secret about this dish is to wait before serving, when it's barely warm or even at room temp. The family’s favorite way to eat eggplant Parm, though, is to eat it ice cold right from the fridge. Wanna top that? Place the cold eggplant parm on some warm crusty bread, sandwich style or open-faced. Cold eggplant Parm is certainly on the top five most satisfying and comforting foods known to man, it’s a fact**.

**As a Test Kitchen, we ate three trays of eggplant parm in less than 36 hours. It. Is. That. Good. So do like Brad says and "Make this dish times two."

Pat's Irish Brown Bread

Irish Brown Bread

8oz whole wheat flour the courser the better
4.5 oz steel cut oats
1.25 oz regular flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
Large pinch of salt
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
4 tablespoons molasses
2 cups butter milk

Whisk dry ingredients together
Add wet ingredients and mix until all is moistened
per heat oven to 450 and grease and flour a loaf pan or baking spray
Bake at 450 for 10 minutes then turn down to 250 for 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Serve with Kerrygold Butter! 

Sheila's Meatloaf

Sheila’s Meatloaf

1 lb ground beef

1 lb ground pork or Italian sausage, casings removed

1 lb ground turkey or chicken

1 T olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 carrots, finely chopped

2 stalks of celery, finely chopped

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 block of frozen spinach, thawed or 1 pkg of fresh

1 T worcestershire sauce

1 T smoked paprika

1 t red pepper flakes

1 T TsarDust Memories (Penzy’s Spice), optional

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup breadcrumbs

Salt as needed

Lots of freshly ground  black pepper

Glaze (recipe below)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degree. 

Combine meat in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a large frying pan, heat olive oil on medium heat. Saute onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and spinach for a few minutes until onion is translucent. Season with salt and pepper. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes.

Combine the remaining ingredients and mix into the meat mixture. 

Cover a sheet pan with foil. Shape two free form loaves on the pan. Take care to create a uniform thickness.

Place in the oven for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, remove and put glaze on the loaves and return to the oven for 15 minutes. Check doneness with a meat thermometer.

Serve. Goes great with mashed potatoes and a salad!

-------------------------------

Glaze

½ c ketchup

½ c brown sugar

Combine and set aside. Using a silicone brush coat the tops of the loaves well with glaze.

You can double this and reserve half to serve with the meatloaf if you like!

Celeriac Soup II

Celeriac Soup

1 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 leeks, white and light green parts, chopped
salt to taste
2-3 lbs celeriac, peeled and diced
1 lg russet potato, peeled and diced
2 granny smith apples, peeled, cored, and diced
2 quarts of stock
1/2 c heavy whipping cream
bay leaf, remove after simmering

Heat oil in a heavy soup pot over medium heat and add the onion, leek, and a little salt. Cook for about 5 minutes until tender. Add celeriac with a little salt and cook for about 5 more minutes. Add potatoes, apples, and stock with bay leaf.Bring to a boil then turn down to simmer for 1 hour. Remove bay leaf.

Blend the soup with a hand blender. Add the heavy cream and season to taste.

Soba with Jammy Eggs and Kimchi

Making soba noodle bowls in the summer is the best because they are so refreshing. There are a few things to do so you can have cold noodles throughout the week if you double the recipe. First make the Soba Tsuyu or broth, then make the jammy eggs, and have a few things on hand to add to your bowl.

Soba Tsuyu

Here's the translation:

Ingredients (3-4 servings)

- Iriko (dried anchovies: can buy at Jung's): 20-30 pieces

- Katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes: can buy at any asian grocer): half a rice bowl-full, or 2 small packs

- Soy sauce: 1 ladle

- Mirin: 1 ladle

- Water: 4 ladles

1. If you have time, remove the head and insides of Iriko (I've never done this). Put Iriko in water and heat on med-low for 4-5 minutes

2. Add katsuobushi, soy sauce, mirin and boil for 2 minutes

3. Strain into a glass jar and let it cool. 

Jammy Eggs

4 room temperature eggs

Boiling water to cover the eggs

Ice water

Bring enough water to cover eggs to boil. Add room temperature eggs (you can put them in a bowl of warm water to bring to room temperature more quickly). Cook for exactly 7 minutes. Cool eggs in a bowl of ice water for about 10 minutes. Peel eggs and cut in half to put in bowls. I always put as many eggs as I can in the pot and keep extra on hand to peel when I want them throughout the week. You can also keep the peeled eggs in the tsuyu to season them. I usually can't wait that long!

For your bowl:

2 bunches of Buckwheat Soba Noodles, prepared according to package instructions and rinsed in cold water

3 green onions, sliced

Seasoned seaweed, cut into strips

Sesame seeds

Chonggak kimchi or baechu kimchi (optional)

Shredded daikon radish (optional)

Divide noodles between four bowls. Pour divided, chilled, soba tsuyu over each bowl. Add a sliced egg to each bowl, with seaweed strips, a sprinkle of green onions, a sprinkle of sesame seeds and the optional ingredients if you wish. Eat and enjoy!

Note: I keep the prepared soba tsuyu and eggs in the fridge for up to a week and make the noodles at the time I want to eat.

Spiced Chickpea Stew with Coconut and Turmeric #thestew

This is my version of Alison Roman's NYTimes recipe that is taking the internet by storm. It is REALLY good. #thestew

Ingredients:
1/4 c olive oil
6-8 garlic cloves, minced
1 knob of ginger (3 inches), finely minced
kosher salt and black pepper
1 T ground turmeric
1 T Trader Joe's South African Smoked Red Pepper (or combo of smoked paprika and red pepper flakes will do)
2 (15 oz) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 (15 oz) cans coconut milk
1 box of stock (chicken, veggie, or Aldi's Tom Yum Stock)
1 bunch of kale (or other greens)
1 c mint leaves or 1 T dried mint

Yogurt and bread for serving

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add garlic, onion and ginger. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally until onion is translucent and starts to brown a little around the edges, 3 to 5 minutes.
2. 1. Add turmeric, red-pepper flakes and chickpeas, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, so the chickpeas sizzle and fry a bit in the spices and oil, until they’ve started to break down and get a little browned and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove about a cup of chickpeas and set aside for garnish.
   2. Using a potato masher, further crush the remaining chickpeas slightly to release their starchy insides (this will help thicken the stew). Add coconut milk and stock to the pot, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, scraping up any bits that have formed on the bottom of the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until stew has thickened and flavors have started to come together, 30 to 35 minutes. (Taste a chickpea or two, not just the liquid, to make sure they have simmered long enough to taste as delicious as possible.) If after 30 to 35 minutes you want the stew a bit thicker, keep simmering until you've reached your desired consistency. 
   3. 1. Add greens and stir, making sure they are submerged in the liquid. (Note: I added the reserved chickpeas back in at this point, you can also save them for garnish). Cook a few minutes so they wilt and soften, 3 to 7 minutes, depending on what you’re using. (Swiss chard and spinach will wilt and soften much faster than kale or collard greens.) Season again with salt and pepper. Add dried mint if using dried instead of fresh.

1. Divide among bowls and top with fresh mint, reserved chickpeas, a sprinkle of red-pepper flakes and a good drizzle of olive oil. Serve alongside yogurt and toasted pita if using; dust the yogurt with turmeric if you'd like.

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019772-spiced-chickpea-stew-with-coconut-and-turmeric?regi=1&join_cooking_newsletter=false