Pops De Milk

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Pops De Milk — Thu, 20 May 2010 12:01:14 +0000

Pound cake. When I hear those two words I think of moist, sweet bread with a delicious brown crust. Pound cake takes me back to the days when I’d break off pieces and squeeze them in my hand to make tiny pound cake balls. I’ve often wondered why it’s called pound cake. My first thought is that there’s a pound of butter in it but in this recipe there is only (ha-ha) 3/4 pounds of butter. I did some research and the reason it’s called pound cake is because traditionally there is a pound each of butter, sugar, flour, and eggs.

The pound cake I made comes from, wait for it, Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey: Desserts for the Serious Sweet Tooth.
I used 3 sticks of butter, one package of cream cheese, 2 and a half cups of sugar, 6 large eggs, salt, vanilla, baking powder, and 3 cups of flour. I divided the dough into a loaf pan and a square baking and at 330F it took less than an hour to bake.

I may have beat the dough a bit too much, causing it to turn a little airy. I also didn’t use eggs at room temperature and the coldness from the eggs made the butter (also at room temperature) temporarily curdle. No worries though because the cake is fantastically moist and perfectly sweet. It’s a brilliant choice for breakfast with a cup of coffee.

Heart of Darkness Brownies

Pops De Milk — Tue, 18 May 2010 11:29:38 +0000

Some days you just feel like your body can’t continue to hold and support all the day’s worries, late lunches, mistakes, and over-all fatigue. All you really want to do after work is curl up on the couch and watch re-runs of Family Guy.

A few days ago at work, I volunteered to bake brownies for a co-worker’s birthday and it was the night before his birthday and I felt the way I just described above. I wanted to hop in my pjs and veg out in front of the TV but instead I pulled out all the necessary ingredients to make Heart of Darkness Brownies from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey: Desserts for the Serious Sweet Tooth. All the recipes I’ve tried from this book are incredibly amazing and so I trust this book so much that I made these brownies for my co-workers despite the fact I’d never made them before. I had no idea if the brownies would turn out but I had (and have) faith in the book.

Upon reluctantly rolling up my sleeves and unwrapping the block of butter the knowledge that I would soon bake something somehow lifted my spirits and I felt more peppy. I felt even happier seeing that these brownies were nothing more than a cup and a half of butter, 6 squares of unsweetened chocolate, 6 eggs, 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of brown sugar, chocolate bars, chocolate chips, nuts, and of course flour, and salt. In the book it says to use muffin tins but as I mentioned already I was feeling lazy so I split the batter and poured it into two square pans. That meant, of course, that I had to bake them longer for 30 minutes or so.

My goodness, these brownies could have mended any broken heart (as Jill says in the book) or in my case, scared away all the lethargy taking refuge in my body. They were thick and disgustingly rich in the middle with a firm layer on top. Each bite was slightly different because you didn’t know if you’d get a chunk of pecan or a piece from a Snickers bar. To make it even more messy to eat, I topped the brownies with multi-coloured mini marshmallows, which perfectly puffed and melted in the oven giving the brownies a nice fruity goo on top.

I’ll be making these brownies again but next time, I’ll listen to Jill and use muffin cups because cutting melted, chewy marshmallow and gooey brownie is a bitch.

Recipe can be found here.

Chicken Pilaff

Pops De Milk — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:36:59 +0000

I own this great cookbook called Dinner With Friends by Jane Price. I’ve tried several recipes from this book in the past and they, for the most part, have been amazing. Last night this book introduced me to a new way of cooking rice with chicken or meat without having to first cook the rice. Before you begin the whole cooking process you start by soaking the desired amount of rice in cold water for at least 30 mins. When you start cooking the onions, garlic, and meat or chicken, you drain and the rinse the rice and once the meat is browned you add it to the pot. Cook it for a couple of minutes and then add wet ingredients like broth and in this case, about 6 oz of diced tomatoes. Just enough liquid to cover the chicken and rice. Cover the pot with a lid and let it simmer for about 20 mins or until liquid is absorbed and rice is cooked. Easy! Now I’m excited to try these steps with other types of meat and different spice combinations. Maybe some shrimp, rice, tomatoes, lots of garlic, and heavy cream.

Overall the instructions in the book were clear and shown in order of preparation and cooking, which I like because it means I don’t have to go searching for a step or a missing ingredient. If you’re not crazy about the taste of cloves, like Jay is, you can omit them or just put in very little. The recipe calls for crushed cloves for the chicken rub (called baharat) and later whole cloves for the entire dish. I only added the cloves to the baharat and it was more than plenty. Originally this was supposed to be a chicken and almond pilaff but guess what, I completely forgot about the almonds and I even have a whole stash I meant to use for cooking. No matter, it was still amazing. Unfortunately, once it was cooked it looked like a huge pot of slop. I don’t know what it is about me and slop these days. But, do try it out.

Recipe can be found here on Google Books.

Two Soup Fails?

Pops De Milk — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:36:04 +0000

Wednesday was a cloudy, dark, and gloomy day. Soft, light snow fell followed by heavy, wet snow – perfect day for hot steamy dishes like soup. For lunch I wanted something simple and comforting. On top of the fridge we have a bag of alphabet pasta Jay and I purchased on a whim several months ago and at last I felt inclined to make use of it. In a small pot I put a cup of previously made chicken stock and a cup of water and while it heated on the stove I looked around in the fridge for something else to throw in besides alphabet pasta. I added two small pieces of cassava (yucca), about 2 oz each, 3 oz of skinless, boneless chicken breast, and 2 garlic cloves broken in half. I left the pot cooking on medium heat, thinking that maybe I should have added more water. 20 minutes later the cassava was cooked – it had swelled and absorbed a large amount of water so I added a little more to make it soup-y. The chicken was cooked and the garlic made everything smell like a cozy cottage during a snowstorm. This is when I added the alphabet pasta. 10 minutes later I checked back and what I found was a pot of gooey slop. It was not the soup I had looked forward to but it smelled amazing. I topped it with a bit of sour cream and paprika. Jay, who said it didn’t look very appetizing, tried a bite and then another and another. “Damn, that’s pretty good,” he said. So simple in taste and so easy to make. I will call it Alphabet Cassava Slop.

For dinner, still in the mood for soup, I brought out the Cooking Light magazine my friend gave me and I flipped over to the potato soup recipe featured on the cover. In hindsight I should have realized that potatoes would make for a very thick and heavy soup – turned out to be more like super tasty mashed potatoes. Jay said, “Potato stew.” But I think he was being nice. I’d probably make this again but next time I’ll use less flour and add more stock or milk.

Here is my version of the potato soup recipe, serves 2-3

2 baking potatoes

1/3 whole wheat flour

3 cups 2% milk

2 oz cheddar cheese, grated

1/2 cup fat free sour cream

2 green onions, chopped

3 bacon slices, crumbled

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400F. Bake the potatoes for an hour or until tender. Let them cool and peel then coarsely mash them. The magazine says to lightly spoon flour (all purpose flour) into a dry measuring cup and then level it with a knife but I scooped whole wheat flour with the measuring cup so maybe that affected the portion. Who knows. Place the flour in a pot and gradually add the milk and whisk until blended and cook over medium heat for about 8 minutes until thick and bubbly. Now, I’m not sure but I think what I did wrong was to heat the flour and milk as I whisked, making the mixture thicker than it should have been so just keep that in mind in case you decide to try this. Next, add the potatoes, a little more than half the cheese, salt and pepper and cook until cheese melts. Remove from heat and stir in the sour cream and 3/4 of the onions. Cook over low heat for about 10 minutes but don’t let it boil. Serve with cheddar cheese, crumbled bacon, and green onions.

Green Chili…again

Pops De Milk — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 02:09:40 +0000

Ever since the first time I made this Green Chili, I’ve been dreaming about it, plotting and scheming to make it again. At last, I decided it was time and tonight I died and went to pork heaven. Just as before, each piece of slowly cooked pork melted in my mouth and the sweet spice from the green tomato and pepper sauce pricked at my taste buds, making me close my eyes and say, “Mmmm….”

Serve this dish with a side of white rice, beans, and a warm tortilla. A nice white wine also compliments the meal, a chardonnay perhaps.

Recipe here.

Bean and Veggie Stew

Pops De Milk — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:43:01 +0000

Oh it’s been such a long time since I last posted! I was away for the holidays and since coming back a week ago, I’ve had to fight the immense feeling of procrastination. It’s been a tough battle but I’ve finally come through.

The holidays were wonderful and delicious but oh so unforgiving to my figure. One of the most common things people put on their New Years resolutions is to lose weight. I am one of those people and every year I add it to my list of goals but every year I end up putting that goal back on the list because I was unsuccessful. This year I’ve altered that goal. Instead of writing “Lose Weight” at the top of my list I’ve written ”Eat healthier.” It’s realistic, it’s safe, and I won’t feel pressured and later feel inclined to give up.

To start with my healthier lifestyle, I made this tasty, satisfying, and amazingly nutritious vegetarian stew.

Makes about 6 servings

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 onion, chopped

6oz mushrooms, chopped

1/2 red and green peppers, chopped

2 carrots, minced

14oz canned tomatoes, crushed or diced

4 or 5 pickled peppers, chopped

1 can mixed beans, drained

8oz red kidney beans, drained

1 can green lentils, drained

About 1 cup frozen corn

About 1 cup beer

Generous squeeze of mustard

Cayenne pepper to taste

1/4 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp cumin

Heat a bit of olive oil in a large pot and sauté the onion, celery, and garlic. Once the onion is soft, add the mushrooms, peppers, and carrot. Cook until mushrooms are soft and then add the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil then lower heat, cover, and cook on low for about 20 minutes. Remove lid and continue to cook on low for another 20 minutes. Serve with a bit of shredded cheese and cilantro.

Lemon Squares

Pops De Milk — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:54:15 +0000

Several weeks ago, after embarking on the ludicrous writing adventure, I found myself stuck. Writer’s block. So what did I do? I baked. I procrastinate by baking. And thanks to the lovely AsiaJo over at Frock and Fork, I found exactly what I needed to make on that day of mental stuckness. Lemon Squares (recipe here). Let them cool completely as they are quite soft when they come out of the oven. These easy to make squares were so delicious and perfectly sweet. Addictive too. I had to hide them so I wouldn’t eat them all in one sitting.

Hungarian Chorizo and Lentil “Stoup”

Pops De Milk — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 15:19:48 +0000

November was a crazy month what with working on my school assignments and writing my NaNoWriMo novel. But the fun hasn’t stopped yet. My story isn’t finished and next comes the revision part. I bet if it were summer I wouldn’t feel as inclined to spend a month indoors to write a novel but because the days are cooler now, I have no complaints. The past couple of days I’ve been in a warm, comfortable soup mode to counter the cold breeze that filters through my badly insulated windows. But because I’m still writing I’ve been using recipes that are quick and easy to make. Enter Rachael Ray’s 30-Minute Meals: Cooking ‘Round the Clock. I hadn’t used this book in a while but over the past week it has come in handy. Over the weekend I made her carbonara which was very simple with pancetta (I used bacon), wine, egg, and lots of cheese. It was comfort food at its best.

Next I made her Hungarian Hot Sausage and Lentil “Stoup.” Here is my slightly adapted version:

Hungarian Chorizo and Lentil “Stoup”

Makes 4 servings

About 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil – evoo (I kept saying this in my best impersonation of Ms Ray to Jay’s confused face, “What’s evoo?”)

150g Spanish style chorizo, sliced (unfortunately I mixed up the chorizo and the sausage when I brought out my ingredients)

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

2 portobello mushrooms, gills scraped out, chopped

1 cup shredded carrots (one large carrot was enough)

1 cup canned lentils

1 large starchy potato, peeled and chopped

1 bay leaf

1 tbsp cumin (but I would advise using less than this)

1 tsp sweet paprika

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp rosemary

14oz canned diced tomatoes

3 cups chicken broth

Heat the oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Brown the chorizo 2-3 minutes and then add the onion, garlic, and mushrooms. Sauté for a bit then add the carrots, lentils, potatoes, bay leaf, paprika, cumin, cayenne pepper, and rosemary. Next add the tomatoes and broth. Cover the pot, raise heat to high to bring to a fast boil then remove lid and boil for about 15 minutes. Serve with some toasted bread and butter. This spicy soup will warm you up on the coldest of days.

Achiote Chicken

Pops De Milk — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 23:04:53 +0000

My goodness it’s been a while. I’ve been so busy with the National Novel Writing Month that after working all day on my novel I can’t seem to find the energy to make a decent meal, let alone write about it. But tonight I make an exception because I’ve neglected my lovely blog for too long.
Tonight’s dish was prepared with achiote paste (info on achiote here, here, and here) . My dad recently got back from a trip to Central America and he brought back a package of the red paste so I figured I should use it to cook chicken. Normally I use this paste to make chancho con yucca (pork with cassava) but it’s just as awesome on chicken or beef. The paste is mainly used as a natural food colouring but it has a nice peppery flavour to it and it’s good for tenderizing meat.

Achiote Chicken

4 chicken thighs

approx 3 tbsp achiote paste

approx 2 tbsp white vinegar

3 garlic cloves, minced

Mix together the paste, vinegar and garlic and coat the chicken well, then marinate for a few hours or cook right away. Usually I heat up a pan with oil and I fry the achiote chicken but tonight I decided to use the broiler. I skewered the chicken thighs and suspended them over my kebab frame. I put that over a baking pan (to catch the drippings) and I broiled the chicken for about 20-25 minutes. Of course, if you have a broiling pan with ridges that’s probably even better but I had to improvise. Once cooked, let the chicken sit for a few minutes then remove the skewers and serve with rice and salad.

Two fantastic soups

Pops De Milk — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 23:22:23 +0000

These days, when I think of Weight Watchers I don’t think about the points – I’m not really counting points or following the diet, I just like to think I’m eating a little healthier. Instead I think about how yummy my dinner is going to be. Of course, there are some Weight Watchers meals that leave a lot to be desired but for the most part they are tasty and quick and easy to make. This past week, from the Turn Around Program Cookbook I’ve made two incredible, filling, delicious soups. When I was flipping through the book I first saw the Beef and Potatoes soup and I bookmarked the page right away because how could I say no to beef? And the fact that the meat is cooked in a mild spicy tomato mixture makes it even better. The next soup that caught my eye was Shrimp Bisque. I have heard of fish soup before but I’d never imagined eating pureed shrimp. I was dubious about this one but the end result was delicious and smile-inducing.

I’ve made a few modifications to the soups:

Shrimp Bisque

serves 4, 3 points per 1 cup serving

3/4 lb medium shrimp, peeled and de-veined (reserve the shells)

1 bouillon cube dissolved in 3 cups of water (chicken or vegetable would work, I used mushroom flavour) or 3 cups of broth

2 1/2 cups water

2 tsp unsalted butter

2 shallots, chopped

1/4 cup long grain rice

1 tbsp tomato paste

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Salt to taste

Place the shrimp shells in a large pot and cover with the broth and water. Cook and bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes to allow the flavours to blend. Strain the broth and discard the shells. Set aside the broth. Melt the butter over medium heat and then add the shallots and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the reserved broth, the rice, and tomato paste. Bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer for about 20 minutes or until rice is tender. Stir in the shrimp, salt, and cayenne pepper and cook until shrimp are ready, about 3 minutes. Scoop out 8 shrimp or so from the pot and place on a cutting board, chop and set aside. Let the soup cool about 5 minutes and then puree in batches in a blender or food processor. Return to heat and simmer until heated through. Serve with chopped shrimp on top and a dollop of home made salsa for an added kick.
Check out this other recipe too:

Shredded Beef and Potato Soup with Chimichurri

serves 6, 5 points per 1 cup serving

1 pound boneless bottom round steak, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces

Salt

3 cups beef broth or 1 beef flavoured bouillon cube dissolved in 3 cups water

14oz diced canned tomatoes

3 or 4 pickled jalapeño peppers, chopped.

1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Juice of half a lime

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

1 tsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 cups diced potato

Heat a bit of oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and add the beef and salt. Cook and turn the beef until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the broth, tomatoes, and jalapeño peppers. Bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer for one hour. Scoop out the beef to a cutting board and let it cool. Set aside the broth and tomato liquid. Shred the beef with two forks or do what I did and use your fingers. To make the chimichurri, combine the cilantro, lime juice, garlic, a dash of salt, and the crushed red pepper and set aside. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat and add the onions, stirring until softened. Add the potatoes and the broth-tomato liquid and bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add the beef and simmer for another 2 minutes. Serve with chimichurri on top.