Eight for 50 - In which we eat and knit hats

 I am back - I didn't leave you or forget.  I was busy celebrating my four-day birthday extravaganza weekend.  More on that later but that is my excuse for posting twice within a couple of days, catching up without making one really loooong post.  This post is 2 new recipes and 6 hats.

When last I wrote, we were about to celebrate Valentine's Day and try a new recipe.  E made his traditional pan-seared steaks with bourbon-thyme sauce, and I made mashed potatoes (timing them so they are still hot when the steaks are ready is the biggest challenge with my contribution).  We shared a bottle of wine from Snowy Peaks Winery that we picked up on one of our trips to Rocky Mountain National Park, and I made a new recipe for dessert - Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie that I had pinned from Julie's Eats and Treats blog.  I knew I wanted to make a skillet cookie, trying to recreate a Pizookie that we had in Sacramento one time.  The recipes I was finding were for different (smaller) cast iron pans than the ones I have, but this one fit the bill so I tried it.  I wanted the cookie to be hot and gooey when we ate it so didn't want to bake ahead of time. Also, I did not want to be messing up the kitchen, mixing cookie dough after eating a lovely dinner, so I made the dough in the afternoon and then refrigerated it.  That may have been a mistake.  Instead of taking 35 minutes to bake, it took more like 50.  It looked done at 35 (at least according to what Julie said it would look like) but it was RAW.  Overall, we liked it pretty well but it was not what we were hoping for.  Instead of pizookie, it was more like choc chip cookie bars that happened to be round and baked in a cast iron pan instead of a cake pan.  Next time I will make about 1/2 the dough, and then figure out how long to bake it from there.

Recipe Seven - Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie

1 C butter, softened

1/2 C sugar

1 C brown sugar, packed

2 large eggs

2 t vanilla

2 1/2 C flour

1 t cornstarch

1 t baking soda

1 3/4 C chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 deg.  Lightly grease oven-safe skillet (I used 10" cast iron, next time I might use larger, if I don't halve the recipe). 

In a large bowl (I used my stand mixer), beat butter for 1 minute on medium speedy until smooth and creamy.  Add both sugars and beat again on medium until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs and vanilla on high (gradually go up to high - I got a lot of splash ramping up to high too fast) until combined, scraping sides of bowl as needed.  

In a separate medium-sized bowl, whisk flour, cornstarch and baking soda until combined.

Slowly mix into wet ingredients until combined (slowly and on slower speed - the flour flies otherwise and makes a mess.  Ask me how I know.)

Add chocolate chips and stir until evenly distributed.

Spread dough into skillet.  Bake 35 minutes or until browned on edges and light browned on top (center should be firm to touch - she said it would be gooey in the middle but mine was very raw).

Cool in pan for 5-10 minutes and serve (I cut mine into wedges - apparently she ate the whole thing with a spoon, starting in the middle.  We also topped it with a couple scoops of Halo Top Sea Salt Caramel ice cream.)

skillet cookie cooked "rare"

15 minutes later

yummy with ice cream

A couple days later, I had a hankering for some fish.  I don't make a lot of fish at home but love to eat fish and other seafood when we are cruising.  Sadly, our cruise was cancelled this year (and we were going to be cruising for the first time ever ON my birthday!), but I decided to try a new fish recipe at home.  Chili Lime Baked Cod sounded easy and it was!  It was also fairly delicious.  I served it with paprika roasted potatoes, which E liked with the lime butter.  It would also be very good over rice or wild rice.  Adapted from KeyIngredient.com.  It does need to sit for at least 30 minutes in the rub before cooking so plan ahead.

Recipe Eight - Chili Lime Baked Cod

1 t paprika

1 t dried parsley

1/2 t oregano

1/2 t chili powder

1/2 t garlic powder

1/4 t cumin

1/4 t salt (I used kosher)

1/4 t freshly ground black pepper

1/8 t cayenne pepper

2 T extra-virgin olive oil, divided

2 cod fillets (mine were about 3 oz each.  You could also use salmon, halibut, tilapia or other fish, and use bigger fillets.)

1 T unsalted butter

zest and juice of 2 limes (I only used juice of one which was plenty)

In a small bowl, combine all of the spices and mix well.

Using 1 T of olive oil, brush the cod filets on all sides and then rub the filets with spice mixture - use it all and coat well.

Refrigerate the fish for at least 30 minutes or up to 12 hours.

Preheat the oven to 450 deg.  Place cod on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake in oven for 10-12 minutes or until the fish flakes easily and is opaque throughout. (Mine took a little longer, though I suspect they were a bit thicker.)

Meanwhile in a small saucepan, melt the butter with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil.  Add in the lime zest and juice and swirl the pan to mix. (I used the microwave and a glass measuring cup and instead of swirling, I whisked.)

Serve the cod over brown rice and corn, if desired, and top with the lime butter. (I poured a little of the lime butter sauce over the fish while still in pan, served cod alongside paprika roasted potatoes, and had side dipping bowls for extra sauce.)

I turned in 6 hats on 2/22 and completed 6 scrapbook pages over my birthday extravaganza weekend, plus got back to walking (and Nordic walking) on 2/18.  I also baked a birthday cake (new recipe!  Will be in the next post), and finished 3 more books (see next post for those as well).

I'll leave you now with pics of cute hats.

upside down cable hat in persimmon

Citrus inspired

2 more cute hats

Fifty for 50 Tally

Books completed – 9 (5 more in progress)

Recipes tried – 9

Blog posts published– 8

Miles walked in February – 32.76

                Miles walked year-to-date –76.53

Scrap book pages completed –12

Hats donated – 12

Hours volunteered – 0

Until we read again (hopefully in the next couple of days),

Hallie

Seven for 50 - A Nancy Drew Mystery and a Recipe of my Own Creation

It was what I like to call "butt-ass cold" all week.  Sub-zero temps which always makes me grateful for my home and my job letting me work from said home, and ever thankful for a hubby who does not mind going out in the cold to grocery shop or get the mail.  I have not been outside since the 3rd.  It again made walking difficult - I had 2 days of boring walks in the house but mostly sat on my behind.

On Wednesday, E brought in the mail including a package addressed to me.  Packages have become very common in the past 12 months but this one I did not remember ordering, nor was I expecting anything from anyone (though in the past 3 months I have gotten at least 2 unexpected packages from work - a blanket and then a happy light).  Opening it I found a t-shirt (excuse the photo quality - blame the photographer not the camera nor the subject):

Mystery t-shirt arrived in the mail

I asked E if he had ordered it.  He had not.  I shook the shirt out and re-examined the packaging no less than 3 times looking for a card or a clue.  The return address simply said "Helen" (no last name) and listed an address in Brooklyn, NY.  Last I checked, I don't know anyone in NY and Helen from knitting is probably close to 80, lives near me, and doesn't know when my birthday is, let alone what year I was born.  I was still at work so I asked one of my co-worker friends if she knew anything about it - nope, not her, nor our other friend at work.  Meanwhile, E is looking online to trace where the package came from - label printed in FL, went through El Paso TX.  He thought maybe a couple of my managers had colluded on it.  I checked with my mom and sister - it was not either of them.  Well, only about 196 other people to check with, though admittedly some are more likely than others.  Who else knows it is my birthday?  Only everyone I am friends with IRL or on FB, and anyone who reads this blog, right?  I felt like Nancy Drew, minus the blue convertible or Titian hair.  Later that evening, I got a message from a friend who used to work with me saying she sent me a little something to commemorate my upcoming milestone. Aha!  She was in the top 5 people I suspected and would have gotten around to questioning her eventually (in the past I have also received an anatomical heart of gold and some fuzzy cat socks from her).  Mystery solved, I gave myself a Scooby snack (because Nancy Drew never got snacks for solving her many mysteries).

No new recipes tried this week (one planned for Valentine's Day dessert, though), and no hats turned in (check for those next week).  I finished one book, started 2 more.  No scrapbook pages done and as I said before, very little walking.  I'll share this recipe that I had lurking in my drafts from last fall.

 Eating:

I wanted to try a new recipe and was not finding one for exactly what I had in mind.  I had a recipe that had the idea (apple bread) that I wanted but it had chunks of apple, which I did not want.  Another was for muffins, but I wanted mini-loaves.  Here was one for mini-loaves but it was banana, not apple. I also was looking for a nice cinnamon sugar crunch on top and within.  Armed with 4 different recipes, and through a bit of trial and error, I came up with this.  The name is, of course, a little wordplay, which you know I love almost as much as I love food and reading. The resulting bread is moist and apple-y, with cinnamon crunchy goodness on top and even more inside.  

Cinna-Mini Apple Loaves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Generously spray 4 mini loaf pans (I have a 4-loaves-in-one stoneware mini loaf pan from Pampered Chef, which I don't think they make anymore.  Any mini loaf pans will work - mine were each about 5"x3"x2")

Mix together and set aside:
1/2 C. packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Blend (I used my stand mixer.  A hand mixer or whisk would work too):
2 eggs
1/2 C white sugar

Add and mix just until combined:
1/2 C (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1/2 C milk
2 tsp vanilla extract

Combine together and then stir into liquids above:

1 1/2 C flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

Stir in, just until combined:

1 C peeled, cored and grated apple (I like Haralson but any firm baking apple will do)

Scoop about 2/3 of batter evenly into 4 mini loaf pans.  Sprinkle 2/3 of brown sugar/cinnamon over loaves.  Top with remaining batter (smooth slightly to even out loaves) and then top with remaining brown sugar/cinnamon.  Use a knife to drag and swirl batter (not too much - 2-3 passes on each loaf will do).

Bake 30-35 minutes, until toothpick inserted comes out clean or tops spring back to touch.
Cool in pan about 5 minutes.  Remove from pans and cool on rack. 

 
Store covered.  I also wrapped a couple of loaves individually in wax paper and in zipper bags for the freezer.  I'll see how those do when we take them out. (I baked these in September, and when we ate one the end of January, it was still good - especially after 10 seconds in the microwave and with a little butter.)  

Book Six

It only took me about a day to re-read this childhood book - Stuart Little by E. B. White.  You may remember from last week my review of Charlotte's Web and how I was looking forward to reading more from White.  Stuart Little is not my favorite of his, but it is still a decent little story.  Stuart is a mouse who is the son of Mr. and Mrs. White.  He is a dapper dresser and has all kinds of fun adventures, from sailing a boat, to getting hauled away in a garbage truck, to driving off in a miniature working gasoline car built by his friend the dentist.  The book itself didn't have a real plot line, more like a series of short stories, and we are left wondering what will happen to Stuart at the end of the book, but the imaginative details make the book.  Some of my favorites: his ice skates are made of paper clips, and the description of how he turns on the water to brush his teeth in the morning. The illustrations in my copy of the book (a Christmas gift in 1975) are by Garth Williams who also illustrated the Little House series, and other childhood favorites - Bedtime for Frances by Russell Hoban,  Baby Animals and Baby Farm Animals (both of which he was writer and illustrator for).  His illustrations are intricately detailed and feel gentle and loving to me.

Fifty for 50 Tally

Books completed – 6 (5 more in progress)

Recipes tried – 6

Blog posts published– 7

Miles walked in February – 11.1

                Miles walked year-to-date –54.87

Scrap book pages completed –6

Hats donated – 6

Hours volunteered – 0

Until we read and eat again,

Hallie