Tasty Tangents | Talk from around the kitchen table

January 25, 2012
by Amanda
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Celebrity Endorsements

Paula Deen's The Deen Family Cookbook

So this is one of those tangents the name of the blog allows me to explore. I have to admit I’ve been ignoring the whole Paula Deen kerfuffle lately, but I decided to take a closer look, since the whole concept of the food celebrity is quite fascinating to me.

I you haven’t heard, here’s the story: Deen has known for three years she has Type 2 Diabetes, but recently decided to go public after securing an endorsement deal with a diabetes drug manufacturer.

The thing is, when I heard she got an endorsement deal, I thought well her name is her bread and butter (no pun intended), so it makes sense that she would find a way to turn a serious diagnosis into an income source.

However, knowing that she’s endorsing a drug instead of say, a more heart-healthy margarine or a line of grills or a brand of salad, is a disappointment.

I’m not the first person to point out that she has the potential to use her diagnosis for good. This article on Huffington Post and this one are ones that said it best for me.

And while I’m the first person to say she’s not responsible for the choices we at home make when it comes to food, it still somehow seems like the easy way out. (We’re each responsible for educating ourselves on healthy eating, by the way.)

Endorsing a drug means she doesn’t have to admit her eating habits have impacted her health, and the health of anyone who now thinks butter should be part of their daily diet.

That would be one hell of an admission too. Imagine learning that something you’ve been doing for decades, that is your entire living, your entire world, could eventually kill you. Not easy.

So I guess I hope she’ll eventually take responsibility. I hope she’ll learn from the experience. Most of all I hope she’ll do what other chefs/cooks have done and move toward healthier cooking or simply teaching that some dishes are only meant for rare special occasions.

And for everyone else, there’s nothing wrong with butter- and sugar-laden recipes on special occasions and at the holidays.

Someone smart quoted a great line to me…it’s not what you eat between Christmas and New Year’s that’s important, it’s what you eat between New Year’s and Christmas.

What do you think? Do celebrities have a responsibility when it comes to choosing what they endorse?

January 15, 2012
by Amanda
6 Comments

Post-Holiday Cheer

Cicitielli

As always a few weeks after the Christmas season, things tend to get a little dreary as all the sparkle and joy begins to fade away.

So it seemed like and ideal time for my first guest post. My mom is always working to perfect family recipes. Ones that have been handed down on scraps of paper with little more than the names of a few main ingredients. (And that’s at the best of times.)

So without further ado…here’s a word from my mom.

ALL IN THE FAMILY

I have been wanting to write about my special Christmas sweets for quite some time. I remember the sights, smells and tastes that come with them, but most of all they represent my family’s traditions of preparing so many different sweets for the season that were made from recipes passed on from one generation to the next by word of mouth. The ingredients have always remained the same, but the quantities come from individual experience.

I made one particular sweet three times this season starting in late November when our family Christmas party was being organized by my sister, Lucy. I was excited to have a big family gathering and wanted to bring tradition to the party with my sweets.

I took pictures of the process and felt very close to the people who made them before me. I could hear my grandmother whispering “piano, piano,” (slowly, slowly) and knew she was watching over me while I deep fried them. I made them again within days because I thought they were too small and there weren’t enough.

The care and attention I gave them paid off. They were magnificent. After the frying and cooling, I made the icing and remembered how often I had watched my mom make them with the same care and the resulting cicitielli were always beautiful little balls of snow white icing adorning the fluffy cake inside. Mom’s were the best.

I had come close to the way they were supposed to be and appreciated the hard work of those who made them before me. I could feel their strength go through me and settle in my heart as I felt pride in having completed the job.

I made them again just before New Year’s Eve to bring them to my daughter’s house. They smelled, tasted and looked just like they were supposed to and I iced them at her house just before guests were supposed to arrive.

The work paid off because everyone who tasted them said they were surprised by the flavour and texture that they had. They were not what they had expected and then they had another. I think that my son-in-law, Dan liked them a lot when he dipped one in the chocolate fondue. He said that they were delicious. My husband kept telling me that they were the best sweets of the season whenever he ate one.

I will probably not make them again until next Christmas and look forward to the event as part of the joys of the season, but I suppose I could make them some time before if I really wanted to.

October 17, 2011
by Amanda
3 Comments

Apple Cider Surprise Cookies

They’re the perfect autumnal dessert (and a nice break from all the pumpkin). I used this recipe from The Cooking Photographer only substituting the apple cider mix with what was available.

Actually, for some reason I had a box of the stuff and haven’t used it in quite awhile and it turned out to be the perfect amount.

The whole wrapping a caramel in each cookie is a bit time consuming, but it’s totally worth it!

The cookies are definitely best served at room temperature or slightly warm so the caramel centers are soft.

Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 230 gram box Lynch’s Original Hot Apple Cider Mix
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 (14 ounce) bag Kraft Caramels (about 50 caramels)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a stand mixer, cream together butter, sugar, salt, and all packets of apple cider mix until smooth and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla extract, then mix in the baking soda and baking powder. Add the flour and mix until just combined.

Use a standard cookie scoop to scoop the dough, scraping off the excess. Make an indent in the dough and place a caramel in the center. Work the dough around the caramel and roll the ball in your hand to seal well. Place the cookies two inches apart on the sheets.

Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. After baking, carefully slide the parchment with the cookies onto the counter. Let cool until they are no longer soft but still slightly warm. Twist gently to remove, and cool the rest of the way upside down on the parchment or on a cooling rack.

Makes about four dozen cookies.

September 24, 2011
by Amanda
1 Comment

No-Bake Cookie Pops

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and Oreo Cheesecake Cookie Pops

On a hot summer’s day I wanted chocolate chip cookies and I did not want to turn the oven on. I had also seen a recipe for no-bake oreo cheesecake pops that sounded fantastic.

On top of that, I had a new package of lollipop sticks ready to go, so I figured it was kismet. And it was also delicious. I guarantee you won’t regret making these quick recipes. I served them cold from the refrigerator though you could serve them frozen.

The first recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls comes from Joy the Baker , but I made way more than the recipe claimed, about four dozen. My version is below. I only half dipped them in chocolate so I could see the yummy dough.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls

1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 cup and 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup peanut butter (or Greek yogurt or applesauce)
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
Lollipop sticks/popsicle sticks/plastic forks

Cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in peanut butter along with the vanilla extract and stir to combine.

In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add it all at once to the butter and sugar mixture and stir until incorporated. Fold in chocolate chips.

Roll heaping tablespoonfuls onto wax paper lined cookie sheet and insert lollipop stick. Press in dough around stick to secure.

Freeze about three hours or overnight, until firm.

Dipping

Chop about 1 cup dark chocolate pastilles or semi-sweet baking chocolate and melt in double boiler or microwave (in 20 second increments). Dip balls and return to freezer to harden. Serve cold from fridge or freezer.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Pops - Undipped

The second recipe is from the blog Some Kitchen Stories.

Oreo Cheescake Pops

1 package of Oreos
8 oz packages of cream cheese, at room temperature
2 packages of semisweet baking chocolate (16 sq. total, for dipping)
Lollipop sticks

Put the Oreos in a bag and smash them into crumbs using a rolling pin or the bottom of a frying pan. Then combine the crumbs with the cream cheese in a mixer just until it’s well-blended.

Scoop out the mixture by the tablespoon and roll into little balls. Set them on a lined baking sheet coated with some cooking spray then stick in the lollipop sticks, a little more than halfway through, pressing the mixture around it.

Refrigerate for a couple of hours or overnight and then repeat the dipping process above. I dipped the dip in oreo crumbs, just for effect.

June 19, 2011
by Amanda
1 Comment

Cupcake Bouquets

For Mother’s Day, I made two cupcake bouquets, one for each of the moms in my life. And just in time for Father’s Day, I thought I’d post one of the beautiful photos my dad took of one of the bouquets.

Cupcake Bouquet

They’re a little time-consuming to make, but not nearly as tough as I thought it would be. Plus, the effect is pretty cool, everyone thought I was bringing over flowers, at least from a distance.

I read/watched a bunch of online tutorials and stories to help get me started. You can find some here, here and here.

You’ll need a base, preferably one with a little weight to it, and a styrofoam ball. I cut one in half to use it for both arrangements. I simply covered the foam with tissue paper and some plastic wrap to keep it from getting greasy, but you could also buy green styrofoam.

Once the foam is in the container, I started with the cupcake on top, and then made circles around it. Use whatever cupcakes you like (I made vanilla and red velvet, all with vanilla buttercream frosting), but it was really handy to have both regular and mini cupcakes to fill in the gaps.

I used two toothpicks per cupcake to hold them in place. Against the advice of all the guides I read, I waited until after the cupcakes were on the arrangement before I frosted anything. I have no idea how I would have placed already frosted cupcakes on there without making a mess.

The finishing touch was a couple of sugar leaves I had left over from another project and voila! Next time I’ll add more leaves and try to put the cupcakes closer together, but for my first attempt I was a happy camper.

June 3, 2011
by Amanda
2 Comments

Perfect Cake Hunt

Desserts by the Yard by chef and author Sherry Yard

I’m on the hunt for the perfect recipe for white/vanilla and chocolate cake.

I’ve feel like I’ve found the best recipe for Red Velvet (thank you Martha Stewart), but now I’m looking for a moist, rich cake, more dense than sponge, but not quite brownie-style.

On that note, (or maybe with that excuse), I’ve bought another cookbook, but this one by a James Beard recognized chef.

As the pastry chef for Wolfgang Puck, Sherry Yard is behind some of the magnificent desserts that have been served at the Oscars.

Now I’m hoping to try to duplicate some of her success, in cake form. I’ll keep you posted on the results.

May 28, 2011
by Amanda
5 Comments

Making Chocolate Bark

Ingredients for Chocolate Bark

I’ve always been a little bit afraid of working with chocolate. The idea that it could suddenly turn some strange, gray colour or seize up just because I heated it too much or a drop of water got in there was very discouraging.

Plus, I have an old stove, so trying to control a hot water bath in order to temper the chocolate was also quite intimidating.

But chocolate bark is one of my favourites and one of my dad’s favourites, and finding good dark chocolate bark other than plain almond is both difficult and expensive.

So, I hunted down a couple of recipes and used the microwave in really short increments (30 seconds at a time at half power) to melt the chocolate before adding some yummy ingredients.

I opted to try three recipes. First, Oprah.com’s Dark Chocolate Bark with Pistachios, Sweetened Dried Cherries and Pumpkin Seeds. This recipe had the best directions for melting the chocolate and combining all the ingredients.

Dark Chocolate Bark with Pistachios, Dried Cherries and Pumpkin Seeds

Second, Epicurious.com’s Winter Dried Fruit and Nut Bark with almonds, raisins, ginger and sea salt.

Winter Dried Fruit and Nut Chocolate Bark

Finally, I followed the ratio of chocolate to nuts and fruit in the above recipes and combined Belgian milk chocolate with pecans, marshmallows and coconut.

Pecan, Marshmallow and Coconut Chocolate Bark

After all my research, I decided not to use chocolate chips, because there were so many warnings about the oiliness and the lumpiness they could cause while trying to melt them. They’ve been made to hold their shape in cookies, not to melt into a smooth mass.

Instead I picked up some semi-sweet chocolate baking squares and some bittersweet and milk chocolate Belgian chocolate pastilles. You can get the squares at any grocery store and I found the pastilles at my local bulk store.

I didn’t find a big difference in the taste or texture between the pastilles and the squares, so I wouldn’t hesitate to use either going forward.

I think all three recipes were delicious, though next time I’ll buy mini marshmallows instead of trying to cut up the big ones…so sticky!

Now that I’ve conquered my fear of working with chocolate, who knows what’s next!

May 23, 2011
by Amanda
0 comments

Tricolour Pepper Soup

Tricolour Pepper Soup - Saute the onions, garlic and peppers, add the broth and then blend. Serve with sour cream and cayenne.

Recently I found myself with about half a dozen bell peppers that needed to be used up, two yellow, two orange and two red. With all the cool weather that has bled right into the spring it seemed like time for some more soup.

I used this recipe on allrecipes.com with a few modifications, replacing the heavy cream with 2% milk and the four red peppers with two red, two orange and two yellow peppers. I also skipped the straining part, because I love the richness and thickness that the little bits of pepper add.

It was a great way to use all the excess veggies in the drawer, and a similar strategy to what I do with a lot of squash, so it’s definitely a recipe I’ll use again.

I’m also thinking that now that the warmer weather is almost here, I’ll have to spin my penchant for soup as a way to sneak veggies into my and hubbies diet into something new. Gazpacho anyone?

April 3, 2011
by Amanda
6 Comments

Naanza

Naanza - Three Ways

I don’t know if that’s really how you spell it, but I do love to say it. Naanza. A few months ago we tried it three ways, and it was delicious. Top it any way you want and pop it in the oven for just a few minutes.

We did a Margherita (tomato sauce and mozzarella), another with the same plus some cured sausage, and a white version with olive oil, oregano, feta, Kalamata olives and mozzarella.

It’s the closest I’ve found for at home pizza to be thin crust, unless you have the time to make the dough yourself. Plus you never have that strange uncooked pizza top you sometimes get with take out. You can also customize each one to the individual guest if you’re having a shindig.

I can’t wait to try it out on the barbecue as an appetizer now that the weather is finally warming up!