Arretje Nof - Dutch Chocolate Cake

This cake is so awesome and so easy. You can really only eat a small piece of it since it is so rich. It truly is a delicious holiday treat. Sorry, these measurements require a scale. Next time I make it, I'll measure it in cups.

Ingredients
4 eggs
250g of sugar
125 cocoa powder
375g of butter (4 sticks) (You cannot substitute oil for butter, otherwise the cake won't set.)
275g of biscuits (these are also known as digestives and can be found in the int'l aisle at the grocery store. They are similar to cookies, but crispier and not very sweet.)
A handful of dried cherries or craisens or other dried fruits. You can make it as fruity as you'd live.

Melt butter in the microwave until warm and melted. Break all the biscuits into small pieces.

Mix the eggs and sugar together until incorporated. Use a sieve to add the cocoa powder to the egg/sugar mixture. Next add melted butter slowly to ensure that the butter is incorporated. Make sure butter is mixed into the cocoa mixture well, otherwise you'll have large globs of butter in your cake.

Line a bread pan with parchment paper (this is a must, otherwise it's a pain to get out of the pan). Pour mixture into the pan and put in the fridge for about 4 hours.

Store in a cool place.

ENJOY!

Savory Sweet Potates in Rosemary Nutmeg Cream Sauce

I usually love marshmallow covered sticky sweet sweet potatoes, but this year I decided to make savory sweet potatoes. This recipe is adapted from a Bon Appetit recipe.

2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup of pureed white onion
1 tsp fresh rosemary
1 lb sweet potatoes, peeled & cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds, halved
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup of whipping cream
fresh grated nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

Heat butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Add onions and rosemary and saute until slightly brown. Add sweet potatoes and broth. Reduce to a low simmer and cover for about 10 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are almost tender. Add cream and nutmeg and simmer uncovered until the sweet potatoes are falling apart and the sauce is thick.

Southern Cornbread Dressing

I LOVE Jiffy Corn bread. Deliciousness. This dressing was a big hit at Christmas dinner. (Super easy too.)

Ingredients:
1 package of Jiffy corn bread (plus one egg and 1/3 cup of milk)
2 tbsp of butter
1 egg
1 small red onion
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1 cup of chicken stock
1 can cream of mushroom soup (or cream of celery or onion...whatever you have on hand)
1 tsp sage
1 tsp fresh thyme
salt and pepper to taste


First, prepare one package of Jiffy Corn bread according to the directions on the box. Allow to cook slightly and crumble the bread into small pieces.

Lower oven to 350 degrees.

Add all the ingredients together and mix until incorporated. If the mix is a little dry, add some more chicken stock. The corn bread will set in the oven, but you retain about the same amount of moisture.

Pour into a greased sauce pan and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Brussel Sprouts with Cranberries and Celery

3 Tbsp butter or clarified butter
1/2 cup yellow onions, finely chopped
1 lb of Brussels Sprouts, halved and sliced
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans
1/2 cup dried unsweetened cherries or craisens
2 tsp of honey
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

Dressing:
Warm honey slightly in the microwave. Add olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Wisk until smoth.

In a large wok or skillet, warm the butter. Add onions and saute until carmelized. Add sliced Brussels Sprouts and cook until tender. Add nuts and cherries and saute for another minute. Turn off the flame and pour dressing on top. Toss the mixture together and cover (let the brussel sprouts remain on the stove top eye as it cools.) The warmth will allow the flavors to incorporate into the vegetable.

Delicious, even for those non-sprouts lovers.

Christmas Dinner

I'm home for the holidays and am loving being here. It's so nice to be back in Bama with the whole family. I think it's been at least 6 years since we were all together in Bama. Last night, we had Christmas dinner with turkey, brussel sprouts, country corn bread dressing, rosemary sweet potatoes, and garlic mashed potatoes PLUS Christmas chocolate arretje nof for dessert. The next couple of posts are the recipes from dinner!

Dhone Patta Chicken

A couple of weekends ago I made dinner with some new Virginia friends. Among other things, we made this green chicken. I think it was the night's biggest/ spiciest hit! Credit: Bong Mom's CookBook.

First:
Marinate about 2 lbs of chicken (bone in thighs and drumsticks) Do NOT try this with chicken breast...it won't turn out the same.)
in a mix of:
1 tbsp of lime juice,
3/4 tbsp of ginger paste,
1 tsp of garlic paste,
salt
and little turmeric,
for an hour or two. Note: For a little more spice add a little cumin and corriander powder to the marinade.

Before you start cooking, make this green sauce:

In a blender make a paste of
3 cloves of garlic,
1 tbsp of chopped ginger(1 & 1/2" ginger peeled and chopped),
3-4 green chilli,
1/3 cup of chopped corriander leaves,
1 tbsp of water

Recipe:

3 tbsp of oil
1 tsp plus a pinch of Paanch Phoron ( you'll have to get this at the Indian store)
2 dried chilis, cracked
1 and 1/2 cup of chopped red onions
1/2 tsp of sugar
1 tomato
1 tsp of corriander powder
a little less than 1 tsp of cumin powder
Pinch of paprika
1/4 cup of water (not too much more than this, because the chicken will give out some water)
1/2 tumeric powder
2 cups of chopped fresh cilantro (Indian corriander)
squeeze of lemon


Heat about 3 tbsp of oil in a Kadhai or saute pan

Add about 1 tsp and little more of Paanch Phoron and 2 cracked dry red chili

When the spices become fragrant, add red onion. I went ahead and also added about 3 shallots chopped in quarters but that is optional and you can just add some more regular onion. Fry the onion with about 1/2 tsp of sugar till onions are pink and translucent, and turn brown on the edges

Add the green sauce to above and fry for a minute.

Add chopped 1 red tomato or just puree the tomato and add to above.Saute till the raw smell from the tomato is gone

Add about 1 tsp of corriander powder and almost 1 tsp of cumin powder. Some Kashmiri Mirch or Paprika gives a nice color so add about 1/2 tsp of that. With a sprinkle of water, fry the masala till it is nicely incorporated with everyting else and the whole thing looks like a brown mess with oil seeping from the edges

Add the chicken pieces and with about 1/4 tsp of turmeric saute the chicken till they turn a nice yellow color.

Add 2 cups of chopped green fresh corriander leaves, salt to taste and about 1-2 cups of water. Cover the lid and let the chicken cook.

Every time you lift the lid this beautiful fragrance will engulf you, so for your own pleasure do that. Else just let the chicken cook. Once it is done garnish with some more fresh corriander leaves.

Serve with hot white rice.

Spinach Tortellini Soup

Hi people (to the whole two people who read this :)! Sorry it's been so long since I posted last. I'm settling in well here in VA and loving work. Here's a nice soup recipe that I made tonight. It's cold outside and I'm not feeling so hot, so I needed a easy peasy recipe!

1 Tbls Olive Oil
One small Onion
2 cloves of garlic, minced
one celery stalk chopped
half red bell pepper (any color will do)
handful of whole peppercorns
a dash of sugar
Frozen peas (handful)
Frozen spinach (two handfuls)
1/2 tsp of basil
1/4 tsp of corriander powder (if you're not indian, you probably don't have this on hand, so just leave it out :)
1 14.5 can of chicken broth
1 chicken buillion cube/ OR 1 tsp of chicken broth powder ( I just added this cause I didn't have more canned chicken broth.)
1 can of diced tomatoes (ALWAYS keep this on hand..)
a splash of wine
salt to taste
(Note: I just threw whatever I had in my fridge/ freezer in. Add any veggies in addition to the spinach.)

Cheese or chicken tortellini

In a separate pot boil the tortellini until its al dente. Strain and set aside.

Saute garlic and onions until soft and fragrant. Add the celery and saute for about 3 minutes. ( love using celery as a spice.. it sweetens things up!) Add bell peppers and saute for 2 mins. Add salt, peppercorns, and a dash of sugar. Add peas and spinach. Add basil. Saute everything for about 3 minutes until you can really smell the basil. (You can add a little more sugar here if you want to bring out the sweetness of the basil and celery.)

Add all the liquid and tomatoes.

Simmmmmmmmer with two fresh green chilis (if you want a little kick...). The longer you simmer the more flavorful the soup will be. I just simmered for about 10 minutes because I was HONGRY.

Add cooked tortellini. (Store the soup and tortellini separately otherwise the pasta turns into mush.)


Easy peasy.

Shrimp with Basil and Coriander

More Shrimp! I have to say...shrimp is such a convenient little protein to keep in your fridge. (I'm talking to you now, Bi2.) You can just grab a handful each day and spice it up however you like it. And it cooks super fast. So here's it is!

7 pieces of shrimp (soaking in some salted water)
2 tsp olive oil (just coat the pan)
1 tomato
1 clove of garlic
1 sprinkle of sugar
1/2 tsp of salt (more to taste)
1 heaping tsp of coriander pwd
1 Tbsp + 2 Tbsp of fresh basil
a splash of water

Cut up the garlic and fry it in the olive oil until golden over medium heat. Add tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes are smushy. Then add coriander powder, sugar and salt. Finally add 1 Tbsp of basil and a splash of water (if the sauce is looking kind of dry.) Cook until the basil is fragrant.

Add shrimp and cook until the head of the shrimp barely touches the tail. Add the rest of the basil... and you're done!

How easy was that?!?

Curry Shrimp with Fresh Basil and Fettuccini

I made this yummy shrimp pasta a couple of days ago and bragged about it to my mashi. Having done so, I had to post it. 

• 1/3 lb of fettuccini (or whatever pasta you like) 
• 1 Tbsp of olive oil
• 1 Tbsp of butter
• One medium onion cut into long slivers
• 2 - 3 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 tsp of chili powder (or a good shake of red chili flakes if spicy ain't your thang)
• 1/2 pound of shrimp
• 1 roma tomato or 1/2 cup of cherry/grape tomatoes
• handful of pine nuts
• 1/2 cup of white wine or 1/2 cup of chicken stock
• 1 cup of heavy cream or 1/2 cup cream and 1/2 cup milk
• 2 heaped Tbsps of fresh basil, chopped
• Shake of chives
• salt and pepper
• A sprinkle of Parmesan Cheese

Boil pasta with a little olive oil and salt until done. ( I prefer mine a little al dente, but really it's whatever your preference is.)

While the pasta is boiling, soak the shrimp in a little salt water.

In a large wok or saucepan, throw in the olive oil and butter. Once the butter starts to bubble, add onions and garlic. Saute over medium heat until the onions are nice and brown. Sprinkle a little sugar on top to help brown the onions a little faster. Then add tomatoes, pine nuts, and a little chili powder. Cook until the tomatoes for about 3 minutes on low heat, or until they are slightly mushy.

Next you are going to add the shrimp and saute it until the shrimp are mostly opaque but haven't curled up yet. Take all that goodness that you've just made and set it aside in a bowl.

In the same pan, add chicken stock/white wine and cream and bring to a slow boil allowing the mixture to thicken. Once the sauce has thickened, add the basil, salt and pepper. Stir until the basil becomes fragrant.

Finally, add the shrimp mixture back to the pot and cook until the shrimp curl.

I usually dump in the pasta so that it takes on the flavor of the sauce, but you can always serve the curry over the pasta.

Top with chives and Parmesan cheese.

Grated Zucchini and Quinoa Salad

I also had some leftover zucchini from my Chocolate Zucchini Bread so I made a grated zucchini and quinoa salad for lunch. I was hungry after all that baking.


Before I get started, a little bit about how I cook. I hateeeee being precise, which is why baking is such a challenge for me. (Let's see how this being an attorney thing works out...) Anyways, so I cook by smells, feelings, and textures. It's probably why cooking is so calming for me. BUT, this airy fairy way of cooking is not so good for the whole cataloging my recipes business that this blog was set up for. Needless to say, approximating these measurements has been... challenging.  

• 1/3 cup of quinoa
• 2/3 tsp of chicken bullion
• 2/3 cup of water
• 1/8 tsp of oregano  (one or two shakes) (or any other herb you like...basil, thyme, rosemary)
  
• a drizzle of olive oil
 

Soak the quinoa in 2/3 cups of water for about 5 minutes. Add the chicken bullion, oregano, a pinch of salt and drizzle of olive oil and put on low heat to simmer. (OK. So I know chicken bullion is not the same as chicken stock, but it's convenient and doesn't go bad!)  Let that simmer for about 10 to 12 minutes. Then turn off the stove and let it continue to steam for 5 to 10 minutes (Don't PEEK! You'll let the steam out!)

• 3/4 cup grated zucchini
• 1 Tbsp or 1 1/2 Tbsp depending on how acidic you like your dressing)
• 1/2 garlic clove or a 1/4 tsp of garlic pwd
  
• 1 Tbsp of olive oil
• A Shake of red chili flakes
• 1 small tomato
• 1 purple shallot (or small onion if you don't keep shallots on hand)
• Feta Cheese (or any cheese you like - Maybe mozzarella would be good!)
  
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Sprinkle of Pine nuts (optional)
  

While your quinoa is cooking, mix lemon juice, olive oil, red chili flakes, and garlic. Let this sit for a little bit.  Chop the tomatoes and onions/shallots and set aside. 


Once the quinoa is done, mix the quinoa, the lemon juice business,  the zucchini, the onions/shallots and the tomatoes. Sprinkle the feta and pine nuts on top. Add salt and pepper. (Do this last. The feta is kind of salty, so you don't want to put too much!)

(You should allow the quinoa to cool before you mixed the two, but I was too hungry to do that. The warm quinoa melted the feta a little, which was nice.)

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

So today is my cousin, Roby's, birthday. In honor of his 15th birthday (ahhhhhh I'm OLD.), I baked two kinds of cake/bread. One chocolate zucchini bread and one is oh-so-chocolatey coconut chocolate cake! I would post a picture, but my camera battery, along with some other very important things, are stuck in storage. And the DSLR, well, it's in Africa.

I made about three mini-loaves, two regular loaves, and one 8 x 8 cake.

This recipe is adapted from one on epicurious.com. 

• 2 1/4 cups sifted all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sugar
•  3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature (not melted)
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 cups grated unpeeled zucchini (about 2 1/2 medium)
• 3 ozs (about 1/2 cup) white chocolate chips
• 3 ozs (about 1/2 cup) dark chocolate chips
• chopped pecans or walnuts

Preheat oven to 325°F. 

Butter and flour baking pan. I made these into mini bread loaves, but you can regular loaf pans.

Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt into medium bowl. 

Beat sugar, butter and oil in large bowl until well blended. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. 

Beat in vanilla extract. 

Mix in dry ingredients with buttermilk.  I didn't have buttermilk but I soured some milk with 1/2 tsp of distilled white vinegar.

Mix in grated zucchini. (If you want the loaf to be more chocolatey, then add a handful of chocolate chips to the batter.

Pour batter into pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips and nuts over. 

Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. 

Cool cake completely in pan.

The last time I made this cake (4 days ago) I finished it all by myself...in 2 days.

~~~~~~~~~~~
 

Helllo!!!!

Hi friends and family!
I've finally done it. Broken down and started a food blog. The purpose really is rather selfish. It's to catalog the recipes that I initially come across on websites like tastespotting.com and then tinker with to my liking. 

As I was reading Ram Dass's Paths to God, I stumbled upon a quote from the Book of Tao. "By letting it go, it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. But when you try and try, the world is then beyond the winning." If you are going to make a meal right, you can't be worried about making it perfect - can't be trying to make it right. In doing so, you lose that elusive present moment that we, mindful practitioners so seek. 

As I understand it, karma yoga is the practice of letting go of your attachment to the outcomes of your actions.


Cooking is my karma yoga :)