We have another birthday in my office next week. I asked the birthday girl to name her favorite type of cake and her answer was chocolate with chocolate frosting. I decided to take a practice run to make sure I had a good recipe. I hate making something for the first time for an audience.

I looked through my cookbooks and decided to try a Devil’s Food Cake from the King Arthur Flour “Baker’s Companion”. I cut the recipe in half and made cupcakes. It was a little difficult to cream the small amount of butter in my 6 quart KitchenAid mixer, but in the end it worked out well. Rumor has it that KitchenAid is coming out with a smaller bowl with a new attachment sometime in Spring. I’ll be on the lookout for that.

The cupcakes were very moist and delicious. They had the light, moist quality of a boxed cake mix but with all natural and mostly organic ingredients. I used organic all-purpose flour from King Arthur, organic natural cocoa powder from Trader Joe’s, organic milk and organic butter.

I tried to make the Chocolate Buttercream recipe from the King Arthur cookbook, but found that it was far too sweet for my taste and not nearly chocolatey enough. Luckily I tasted it before adding all of the sugar. I added some more unsweetened chocolate and that improved the taste considerably. I also added a tablespoon of unsweetened dutch process cocoa powder. That addition made a delicious frosting, full of dense chocolate flavor without being overly sweet. I’m not posting the recipe for the frosting yet as it was purely experimental.

Devil’s Food Cupcakes

• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks, 6 ounces) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups (12 1/4 ounces superfine or granulated sugar)
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• 2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup (2 1/4 ounces) natural cocoa powder
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) milk, room temperature

Preheat the oven to 350º F.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, salt, baking soda, and vanilla until fluffy and light, at least 5 minutes. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and cocoa. If lumps remain, sift the mixture.

Add the eggs to the butter mixture one at a time, beating well after each addition. Slowly blend 1/3 of the flour mixture into the creamed mixture, then 1/2 of the milk, another 1/3 of the flour, the remaining milk and lastly the remaining flour. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally throughout this process.

Line a muffin tin with paper liners. Fill cups 3/4 full and bake for 20 – 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean. Cool for ten minutes in the tins and then remove and cool completely on a wire rack. Spread with chocolate frosting of your choice.

Makes 24 – 26 cupcakes.
168 cal | 7g fat | 3g protein | 9g complex carbohydrates | 14g sugar | 1g dietary fiber

(Modified from Alton Brown’s Instant Pancakes)

These pancakes are so good that I’ve become very picky about the ones I have in restaurants. Restaurant pancakes just don’t live up to the possibility, often times they are tough and flavorless. This recipe is actually quite easy. I usually already have everything except the buttermilk. AB recommends making the “mix” (the dry ingredients) in bulk so that you only have to add the wet. I did this for a while, but our waistlines didn’t like eating pancakes that often. This recipe is modified to make the pancakes without the “mix”.

Pancakes

• 2 cups/10 oz/284 g of all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon/2g of baking soda
• 1 teaspoon/6g of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon/8g of table salt
• 2 teaspoons/10g of granulated sugar
• 2 eggs, separated
• 2 cups/488g of buttermilk
• 4 tablespoons of melted butter

Heat an electric griddle or frying pan to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and sugar. Whisk together the egg whites and the buttermilk in a small bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the butter and egg yolks. Add the yolks and butter to the egg whites and buttermilk, whisk until combined. Pour the liquid ingredients on top of the dry ingredients. Using a whisk, mix the batter gently to combine. Stop as soon as you don’t see any more flour. The lumps will cook away.

Check to see if the griddle is hot by placing a few drops of water on the griddle. The griddle is ready when the water dances across the surface. If it evaporates immediately, it’s too hot. Turn the griddle down and try again in a few minutes. Electric griddles work very well for this because you can set the temperature. I have a Cuisinart Griddler. A very nice appliance for under $100.

If your griddle is non-stick you may not need to butter it. If you are not sure, lightly butter the griddle and wipe off the extra with a paper towel.

Gently ladle the pancake batter on the griddle. I like to use a 1/4 cup disher or ice cream scoop. When bubbles begin to set around the edges of the pancake and the underside is a golden brown, gently flip pancakes. Continue to cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until the pancake is set.

You can freeze the leftovers by placing them on a baking sheet and freezing individually. When they are frozen through, place them in a zip lock bag or use your FoodSaver.

Our refrigerator is about 13 years old. It’s a not-so-lovely beige Maytag which still works fairly well. My two complaints are 1) that it’s kind of ugly and outdated and 2) that the freezer seems to have a temperature fluctuation causing freezer burn to happen rapidly. We end up throwing out a lot of food due to large amount of ice crystals that form inside the containers.

It really is time for a new refrigerator, but with a kitchen remodel in the not too distant future we have waited. Both of my sisters swear by FoodSaver vacuum sealers. I have found that things that come pre-sealed this way do survive our freezer rather well. A few months ago, I researched vacuum sealers and people rave about the FoodSaver brand, so I decided to give it a try.

Costco had a nice version that included some canisters for about $135. Bed Bath & Beyond had one with a flip up design for $160. This one was chrome and black instead of white. I have very limited counter space and I knew that if it was put away I would rarely use it. I opted for the BB&B version and used a 20% Off Coupon which brought it to $128. I didn’t get the extra canisters, but I had a more usable appliance.

The bags and rolls for the FoodSaver are kind of expensive, but you can reuse them if you don’t store meat in them. Since we’re vegetarians, that’s not a problem. Costco does have a 6 roll box for $40. I bought that and still have a lot left. My best guess is that it will last me for about 6 months.

I love using it because now I can vacuum seal left overs or food I buy in bulk, including flour. We love buying the 1 pound block of Tilamook cheddar cheese at Costco. Sometimes it molds before we can eat it all. It’s a lot of cheese for two people. Now I portion the cheese into manageable pieces and vacuum seal the extra. When I made the Shepherd’s Pie this weekend, I already had most of the ingredients in the freezer sealed away for future use. This included a wonderful vegetarian gravy I made that would have gone to waste.

I’m not sure if it’s saving me all the money I’ve spent on it and the supplies, but if we count not eating out as often, we’ve saved tenfold. Besides, my husband really hates wasting food. When he found out this would help with waste, he was happy to indulge my gadget fetish.

I’ve only used the bags and rolls so far. I may get some of the canisters to see how they work in the future. This is one gadget that has lived up to the hype.

Growing up, my idea of making a pie was to buy a Mrs. Smith’s frozen pie from the grocery store and put it in the oven. I didn’t even do that well. My first pumpkin pie was blackened and burnt on the top.

My best friend’s mom made the most wonderful apple pie from scratch and she showed me how to core and peel the apples and make an oil and flour crust. It was thin, light and flaky.

My future mother-in-law showed me how to make a thicker pie crust using shortening. This was the perfect vehicle for pumpkin pie. I still use her recipe for the custard filling to this day. However, my crust using her recipe was never quite as good as hers, so the search continued.

Two Thanksgivings ago, I used the Cook’s Illustrated butter/shortening crust recipe. This was very tasty, but it was hard to make in the food processor as the butter clumped terribly. It seemed to be too much fat for the flour or the food processor was just too powerful. This past Thanksgiving, I tried a variation of Alton Brown’s pie crust substituting shortening for the lard. It was good, but not as good as the CI recipe. However his technique of adding the water with a spray bottle and putting the dough in a gallon sized zip-top bag to chill and roll was ingenious.

This weekend I made a Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie in honor of St. Patrick’s day. I tried a new crust recipe out of the King Arthur baking book but used my KitchenAid mixer and the wire whip to cut the fat into the flour. This was truly a success. Not only was it easier than using a food processor it was also less clean up. The pie dough came together perfectly. I then put it in the zip-top bag and chilled until I was ready to roll it out. The great part about using the bag, is you snip off the edges and and roll the dough inside the bag. It works well and clean up is a breeze.

Oh, and the pie crust was delicious. I ended up using real buttermilk, since I had some in the fridge, but didn’t have buttermilk powder. I also didn’t have any vinegar so left that out. The crust was flavorful and flaky, just perfect for the pie.

Pie Crust
Makes one 9″ pie crust

• 1 1/2 cups (6 1/2 ounces) Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1 tablespoon (1/8 ounce) buttermilk powder (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick, 2 ounces) butter
• 1/4 cup (1 1/2 ounces) vegetable shortening
• 1 teaspoon white or cider vinegar
• 3 to 5 tablespoons (1 1/2 to 2 1/2 ounces) cold water

Mixing the dough
Place the flour, salt, buttermilk powder and baking powder in the bowl of your standing mixer. (Note, you can also use 1 tablespoon of buttermilk, but add this to the liquids and cut back water by 1 tablespoon.) Attach bowl and whisk attachment to mixer and mix on speed 2 for 30 seconds to combine dry ingredients. Cut cold butter and cold shortening into 1/2 inch cubes.

The easiest way to cube the butter and shortening is to use a pastry or dough scraper and slice the butter into thirds along the long side, turn 1/4 turn and slice the next side into thirds, then cut the butter into 1/2 inch pieces on the short side.

Add butter and shortening bit by bit to flour mixture and mix at speed 6 until fat is cut into the flour and resembles small peas. Combine vinegar and water. Turn down the mixer to speed 4 and slowly add the liquids until dough just comes together. You may not need all the liquid. The dough will clump inside the wire whisk and will form a ball when squeezed by hand. Stop the mixer and remove bowl and attachment.

Gather the dough and place in a gallon sized zip-top back. Form the dough into a flat disk. Seal the bag and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Rolling the Dough
Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Cut off the top and sides of the zip top bag. Using a rolling pin roll out the dough inside the bag to the edges. Rotate the bag a 1/4 turn each roll to get a nice circle. Peel back one side of the plastic and ease the dough into your pie pan. Remove the second side of plastic and gently press the dough into the bottom and sides. Using a fork poke holes in the bottom and sides to let steam escape. Fold over any excess dough and crimp the edges. If you have a short side, use extra dough from another side to piece together the crust.

Part of my bread making marathon has been the search for a soft, tasty loaf that would be great for sandwiches. I’ve always been partial to oatmeal bread and have tried several recipes. All were good, this one is great.

I adapted the Cook’s Illustrated “Oatmeal American Loaf Bread” recipe after several tries. All were delicious, but I found the liquid to flour ratio to be off for me. I kept having to add more flour to get the dough to come together. I’ve tried using less milk instead of more flour, but have found that I prefer the whole amount of milk and add up to a cup more flour if needed. I was using All Purpose (AP) flour, which is part of the issue. I’ve tried making it with bread flour, but have found that I actually prefer the AP flour. I get a more tender and moist bread.

Note: After reading the King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion, I realized I should not double the yeast when doubling the recipe for bread. They recommend 1 tablespoon for up to 8 loaves. The rise time may slow, but it works out better. I found this to be true, as doubling the yeast made my loaves rise too quickly causing air bubbles.

Oatmeal Bread

Makes two 9 x 5 inch loaves.

• 1 1/2 cups of water
• 1 1/2 cups of rolled oats
• 6 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour (plus extra for work surface)
• 2 teaspoons of table salt
• 2 cups of milk, warm (110 degrees)
• 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted
• 6 tablespoons of honey
• 1 tablespoon of instant yeast

Directions

1. Bring water to boil in small saucepan. Add oats and cook to soften, about 90 seconds. Set aside. The oats will absorb the water.
2. Whisk together the flour, salt, and yeast in the bowl of a standing mixer. Add the cooked oatmeal and attach the dough hook and start mixing at speed 2 (KitchenAid mixers). Mix the milk, melted butter and honey in a 4 cup measuring cup. With the mixer running at speed 2, slowly add the liquid. If the dough is too wet, add 1/2 cup of flour at a time until the flour is combined. When the dough comes together and pulls away from the side, continue kneading for 2 – 4 minutes longer. Dough will be sticky.
3. Divide dough into two equal pieces. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead briefly with floured hands to form a ball. Place dough ball in lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Repeat with second piece. (A dough bucket works very well for the rising process.) Let rise in warm place (70 – 80 degrees) for 40 – 50 minutes or until doubled.
4. Form dough into loaf by gently pressing the dough into a rectangle, one inch thick and no wider than the length of the loaf pan. Next, roll the dough firmly into a cylinder, pressing with your fingers to make sure the dough sticks to itself. Turn the dough seam side up and pinch it closed. Place dough in the pan and press it gently so it touches all four sides of the pan. Finally, place dough in greased 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan.
5. Cover with plastic wrap; set aside in warm spot until dough almost doubles in size, 20 to 30 minutes. Heat oven to 350 degrees, placing empty loaf pan on bottom rack. Bring 2 cups water to boil.
6. Remove plastic wrap from loaf pan. Place pan in oven, immediately pouring heated water into an empty loaf pan; close oven door. (Note, this step is important. Without it, the bread will not rise as high or be as moist.) Bake until instant-read thermometer inserted at angle from short end just above pan rim into center of loaf reads 195 degrees, about 40 to 50 minutes. Remove bread from pan, transfer to a wire rack, and cool to room temperature. Slice and serve.