Hot And Spicy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Posted on May 19, 2011 by I Sing In The Kitchen

If you want to change up your usual chocolate chips cookies. Go for this recipe with its subtle heat and cinnamon edge.

This guy was carrying around some change.

Hot and Spicy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

6 oz butter, softened
3/4 c packed dark brown sugar
1/2 c granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 c + 2 Tbs flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 c bittersweet chocolate chips or chunks

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. Cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla, cinnamon and cayenne pepper.

3. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt together. Add to the butter mixture and mix until just combined. Add the chocolate chips.

4. Scoop dough onto a baking sheet leaving enough room for them to spread. Bake for about 12-15 minutes each or until the edges are set, but the middle is still soft. As these cookies bake, they go from chewy to cakey to crisp, so you can change their characteristic by the amount of time you bake them for.

Recipe from No Recipes

This song is definitely hot even if there is no fire. The House Of Love is one of my favorite bands ever.
The House Of Love-No Fire

The House of Love has a Myspace Page which you can visit. Buy their stuff here.

For a little spice you should be sure to have some Pepper Rabbit in your music collection. I LOVE this song.
Pepper Rabbit-Older Brother

Check out the band’s Myspace page. Buy their music here.

Cheers!

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Singing On Sesame Street. Big Bird And Oscar The Grouch Cupcakes.

Posted on May 18, 2011 by I Sing In The Kitchen

Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street? Well, I think we are there. Some of my favorite character cupcakes have been the Cookie Monster, Elmo, and Mrs. Cookie Monster. Then a friend of mine decided to do a Sesame Street themed party for her (adorable) son’s first birthday party.

She shared these amazing photos of the party set up. Not only did she have the Cookie Monster and Elmo Cupcakes that I am familiar with, but she came up with brilliant ideas for Big Bird and Oscar The Grouch. Look how many cupcakes she made!



I had to give the Big Bird and Oscar Cupcakes a try myself. They turned out so cute.

If you want to make from scratch cupcakes, these were pretty good.

Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients:

3 1/2 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup almond flour
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/3 cups brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350℉. Line cupcake tin with 16 liners.

2. Place chocolate in a bowl and pour in 6 Tbs boiling water. Stir until melted. Set aside to cool.

3. In a bowl sift flour, baking powder and baking soda. Stir in ground almonds.

4. In bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until very light and fluffy, 5 minutes. Add vanilla and eggs. Add chocolate and buttermilk.

5. Fold in flour. Divide mixture between liners.

6. Bake for 25 minutes. Cool on racks.

Recipe from Fiona Cairns’ Bake & Decorate Cookbook.

This is my favorite buttercream these days. Pipes like a dream.

Buttercream Icing

Ingredients:

6 cups confectioners’ sugar

1 lb butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla extract

2 to 4 Tbs whipping or heavy cream

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter on low speed. Mix until well blended. Increase speed to medium and beat for another 3 minutes.

2. Add vanilla and cream and continue to beat on medium speed for 1 minute longer. Add more cream, as needed, to obtain desired consistency.

Makes enough to ice a dozen cupcakes

Oscar The Grouch Cupcakes

Ingredients for Oscar The Grouch:

Icing tinted green with a few drops of red
Candy Eyes (1/2 inch)
Icing tinted brown for unibrow
Black icing. I like the kind in the can that I used here.

Directions for Oscar The Grouch:

1. Fill piping bag with green icing. Using a grass tip, pipe fur all over cupcake.

2. Add Candy Eyes, a brown unibrow and a black mouth. I put some red hots on a few mouths as tongues.

Big Bird Cupcakes

Ingredients for Big Bird:

Icing tinted yellow
Circus Peanuts cut into a beak shape or Yellow Candy Corn, available at Easter time. (I couldn’t decide which look was cuter)
Red edible marker to color inside of mouth
Candy Eyes (1/2 inch) lined with blue edible marker

Directions to make Big Bird Cupcakes:

1. Ice cupcakes using a star tip. Affix eyes and beak of choice.

Here is a video that the birthday boy likes. One of my good friends from high school also has it bad for Mr. Mraz.

My favorite Oscar video is just a little bit different.

We need a bird specific tune, don’t we? Now, nothing against Big Bird, but this song is almost too good for the behemoth feathered, bipedal, endothermic vertebrate. (Sooo Good. Forgive me VLN, if you drop by here)
Vive La Noiz-Bird Song

Cheers!

Posted in Cupcakes | 15 Comments

Sole With Rich Ketchup Sauce

Posted on May 17, 2011 by I Sing In The Kitchen

I know. “Ketchup Sauce” doesn’t exactly make you want to run into the kitchen and immediately cook this dish. But, you should.

“Ketchup Sauce” hardly describes how good it tastes. The soy sauce and butter flavors shine right through. The olive mixture just adds to the complex fun in a meal that couldn’t be easier to prepare.

Sole With Rich Ketchup Sauce

Ingredients:

5 oz unsalted butter
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp hot sauce
1 plum tomato, seeded and chopped
6 large green olives, chopped
6 Kalamata olives, chopped
1 Tbs capers
2 tsp shredded basil
1 tsp thyme leaves
1 1/2 lb sole fillets
Rice to accompany

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the butter with the ketchup, soy sauce, vinegar and hot sauce and bring to a boil over moderate heat. Keep warm.

2. Mix the tomato, olives, and capers together.

3. Broil sole until cooked through, about 5 minutes.

4. Pour about 2 Tbs sauce onto each of 4 dinner plates. Set a fillet of sole on sauce and spoon the tomato-olive mixture on top.

(I like to pack steamed white rice into a timbale and unmold onto the plate. Looks nice.)

Serves 4

Recipe adapted from a Jean-Georges Vongerichten recipe printed in Food & Wine Magazine.

Sole music, anyone?
Born Ruffians-Sole Brother

Voluntary Butler Scheme-Tabasco Soul

Cheers!

Posted in Main Courses, Seafood | Leave a comment

King Post Kitsch. Scottish Shortbread.

Posted on May 16, 2011 by I Sing In The Kitchen

King Post Kitsch has its debut single, Don’t You Touch My Fucking Honeytone, out today on Song, By Toad Records.

I love King Post Kitsch. There’s something about Charlie’s voice that just made me stop and take notice the first time I heard one of his songs. I have had a serious Rebecca obsession, but I’ll get to that after we bake.

Since Charlie’s hometown was Glasgow, I thought some shortbread might be a nice touch as we celebrate his debut today.

This recipe for shortbread couldn’t be easier to pull together. 2-4-6.

I use the food processor and always quadruple the recipe. The tins of shortbread will last for a few weeks if they are not eaten in a few days. They will be.

Shortbread

Ingredients:

2 oz (1/4 cup) sugar
4 oz butter, softened
6 oz (1 cup) flour

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300℉.

2. Put all ingredients into food processor. Process until dough balls together.

3. Press into buttered 9 inch tin. Prick all over with a fork.


4. Bake for 1 hour. Let cool 3 minutes and then score into slices.

Pour some tea. Perfection.

More perfection. Check out these songs by King Post Kitsch.

As I said, I have been completely taken with the song Rebecca. It’s folky, but with an edge. The guitar is delicate, but it’s not. And that voice.
“Cold outside, but no one really cares.”
King Post Kitsch-Rebecca

The next tune is catchy as all get out. It is electro-rocking goodness that makes you want to get up and dance. And sing, of course.
King Post Kitsch-Walking On Eggshells

See? How fab is this band?

As I mentioned, the new song is out today. You can listen to Don’t You Touch My Fucking Honeytone and buy it here.

Cheers!

Posted in Cookies | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Brown Sugar Banana Cupcakes With Pineapple Buttercream Icing

Posted on May 15, 2011 by I Sing In The Kitchen

Breakfast. Dessert. Snack. Yes.

The other day I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with three very sad bananas. They were ready to get up and walk themselves over to the compost bin if I didn’t perform an intervention.

Then I saw the recipe for these cupcakes over at How Sweet It Is. Jessica topped hers with Avocado Buttercream. I might experiment with that sometime in the future, especially since she showed a photo a day or so later that showed that the icing stayed green.

I thought Pineapple Buttercream sounded pretty sweet. And it was. Just the right thing to top these moist, delicious banana cupcakes.

Brown Sugar Banana Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups flour
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
1 egg
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup butter, melted

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.

2. Combine flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg and set aside.

3. In a bowl, whisk egg and add brown sugar, mixing until smooth. Stir in vanilla extract. Add sour cream and melted butter and mix. Stir in dry ingredients, then add mashed bananas and mix until batter comes together. The batter will be thick.

4. Using an ice cream scoop or 1/4 cup measure, scoop batter in liners. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Let cool completely.

makes 20 cupcakes

Pineapple Buttercream Icing

Ingredients:

8 Tbs butter, softened
5 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
4 to 6 Tbs pineapple juice
Banana Chips for garnish
Candy Eyes and Lips if you need someone to sing with

Directions:

1. Cream butter in a mixing bowl for 10 seconds. Add sugar gradually.

2. Add 4 Tbs pineapple juice and blend on low until mixture is creamy. If it seems to thick, add the remaining pineapple juice. Increase mixer speed to medium-high and beat for about a minute.

3. Ice cupcakes as desired. Top with a banana chip.

Recipe quantity doubled from Cupcakes From The Cake Doctor

You can lay the banana chip flat.

Strawberry drizzled over is a nice touch.

If you’re like me, you may need to add some eyes to one to keep you company.

The looks I was getting from my cupcake friend clearly indicated that it wanted to sing along with me. One mouth coming up.

I did not eat my singing partner. Mmmm, but I sure did eat my share of these cupcakes.

The Mountain Goats. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. Too many. I’ll just share two songs and then you need to go and buy each and every album if you do not own them already.

The latest album by The Mountain Goats is ‘All Eternals Deck’ and it is brilliant. I couldn’t decide which song to choose, so I had to do an eenie meenie miney moe.
The Mountain Goats-Never Quite Free

This song is from the album ‘The Life Of The World To Come’. Yum.
The Mountain Goats-Genesis 3:23

The band has some free downloads and information on where to buy their music here.

Cheers!

Posted in Cupcakes | 3 Comments

Short And Sweet. Peanut Butter And Pretzel Terrine.

Posted on May 14, 2011 by I Sing In The Kitchen

Short and sweet and salty. Yes, thank you. Please sir, can I have some more?

Peanut Butter Cup And Pretzel Terrine

Ingredients:

3 pints vanilla ice cream
20 chopped mini peanut butter cups
3/4 cup broken pretzels

Directions:

1. Line a loaf pan with parchment, leaving an overhang.

2. Press 1 1/2 cups softened vanilla ice cream into the pan, top with peanut butter cups and the remaining ice cream.

3. Press the pretzels on top and freeze until firm, at least an hour and up to 2 days.

4. Remove from pan and slice.

Serves 8

Recipe from Real Simple Magazine

Short music. Slap that girl. Throw salt at her.
Charlie & The Chocolate Factory Soundtrack-Veruca Salt

C’mon, how freakin’ sweet is this song???? Go nuts over it like I do.
The Tindersticks-Peanuts

Cheers!

Posted in Dessert, Ice Cream | 1 Comment

Hoisin Glazed Boneless Ribs And Sausage With Broccolis. Yes, Broccolis.

Posted on May 13, 2011 by I Sing In The Kitchen

This week’s theme for the Contrast Podcast was chosen by Tim’s boy. Broccolis. Yes, plural.

I don’t know about you, but my music library isn’t overflowing with green vegetable related tunes.

I thought about The elder president Bush’s famous disdain for broccoli. I would have played Push Push In The Bush by Musique.

Then there was the tie in to broccoli with the cupcakes I made for April Fools’ Day. Elvis Costello’s So Like Candy could have worked.

Tim agreed that those were both stretching the limits of the theme just a bit too far.

So I went with English Trees by Crowded House. You can hear why by listening to the Contrast Podcast here.

Hoisin Glazed Boneless Ribs And Sausage With Broccoli

Ingredients:

4 Tbs soy sauce
4 Tbs hoisin sauce
3 Tbs ketchup
2 Tbs rice vinegar
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbs grated ginger
1 lb boneless country style pork ribs
1 lb sausage (your favorite kind)
4 Tbs vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
1 lb broccoli
Rice to serve

Directions:

1. Whisk soy sauce, hoisin, ketchup, rice vinegar, half of garlic and ginger together in a large bowl.

2. Pat ribs dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat 3 Tbs oil in large skillet until just smoking. Add ribs and sausage and cook until browned all over, about 8-10 minutes.

3. Add hoisin mixture and cook, flipping pork and sausage, once or twice until sauce is thickened and meats are cooked through, about 5 minutes.

4. Meanwhile bring water and 1/2 tsp salt to a boil in large sauce pan. Add broccoli and simmer, covered, over medium-low heat until bright green and tender, about 5 minutes. Remove lid and cook until liquid evaporates, about 30 seconds. Stir in remaining oil and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Serve ribs and sausage with broccoli and rice.

Serves 4-6

Recipe adapted from America’s Test Kitchen

I’m still laughing at Jeremy’s pick. I hope this makes you smile, too.
The Kingsmen-Jolly Green Giant

I’m sure this song is not about the vegetable, but it has a good vibe.
Calibro 35-Calling All Units To Broccolino

Cheers! Have a great Friday!

Posted in Main Courses | 2 Comments

17 Pygmies. Chameleon.

Posted on May 12, 2011 by I Sing In The Kitchen

Shortly after I published my 17 Pygmies Flourless Chocolate Cake post, a friend sent me a message reminding me that we knew an amazing song by them back in our college days. That song is Chameleon and yes, you can see it listed right there in the photo of an old mixtape of mine.

See that? I did know about 17 Pygmies. I may have to check out the back catalog as closely as I have the recent Celestina stuff.

Enjoy this. Pretty amazing still, all these years later.

Cheers!

Posted in Music | Tagged | 4 Comments

17 Pygmies. One Flourless Chocolate Cake With Chocolate Glaze.

Posted on May 12, 2011 by I Sing In The Kitchen


I keep asking myself “How did I not know about 17 Pygmies?”.

Concept albums. Experimental space rock. Haunting music filled with drama. This stuff has my name written all over it.

Somehow I missed the album ‘Celestina’ when it came out in 2008. But, no worries. I’ve caught up with it and its follow-up, ‘CII: Second Son’ released this past January. Catch up has never been so much fun.

17 Pygmies, out of California, started out in 1982. After some member changes and several record recordings along came Celestina.

‘Celestina’ and ‘CII: Second Son’ tell the story of the spaceship Celestina’s mission to explore a possible black hole in the nebula of Cassiopeia. Astronauts Captain Robert Mora and Dr. Isabel fly through the black hole and wake up in a perfect world with two suns. It is an idyllic place where nothing ever changes. Could this be heaven?

Throw in robots and you’ve got one hell of a perfect concept album.

The reason I know so much of what is going on is that there are accompanying written short stories for Celestina and CII:Second Son. The songs allude to the drama with instrumentation and sparse lyrics. Listening to the album, for me, feels more like listening to a love story. The songs have repeating melodies and musical passages that tie everything together.

CII is completely and utterly addicting. Just like this Flourless Chocolate Cake.

Meg, from the band, suggested this recipe. It is an amazing cake. An explosion of chocolate in every bite. You have to make this cake. It is out of this world….like Celestina.

Flourless Chocolate Cake With Chocolate Glaze

Ingredients for cake:

12 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
6 large eggs, separated
12 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Ingredients for glaze:

1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
9 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

Chocolate shavings or Gold-brushed Chocolate Leaves or the roses below

Directions to make cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 9-inch-diameter springform pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper or waxed paper; butter paper. Wrap outside of pan with foil.

2. Stir chocolate and butter in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Cool to lukewarm, stirring often.

3. Using electric mixer, beat egg yolks and 6 tablespoons sugar in large bowl until mixture is very thick and pale, about 3 minutes. Fold lukewarm chocolate mixture into yolk mixture, then fold in vanilla extract.

4. Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites in another large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 6 tablespoons sugar, beating until medium-firm peaks form. Fold whites into chocolate mixture in 3 additions.

5. Pour batter into prepared pan.

6. Bake cake until top is puffed and cracked and tester inserted into center comes out with some moist crumbs attached, about 50 minutes. Cool cake in pan on rack (cake will fall).

7. Gently press down crusty top to make evenly thick cake. Using small knife, cut around pan sides to loosen cake. Remove pan sides. Place 9-inch-diameter tart pan bottom or cardboard round atop cake. Invert cake onto tart pan bottom. Peel off parchment paper.

Directions to make glaze:

1. Bring cream and corn syrup to simmer in medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth.

2. Place cake on rack set over baking sheet. Spread 1/2 cup glaze smoothly over top and sides of cake. Freeze until almost set, about 3 minutes. Pour remaining glaze over cake; smooth sides and top. Place cake on platter. Chill until glaze is firm, about 1 hour. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome; store at room temperature.)

3. Garnish with chocolate shavings or leaves. Serve at room temperature.

Recipe from Bon Appétit Magazine

If you want some flowers for your flourless cake try these. I didn’t eat them, but you can if you know that they are pesticide free.

Glittery Roses

Ingredients:

Roses
Beaten egg white
Edible glitter

Directions:

1. Lightly brush roses with egg white. Sprinkle with glitter.

2. Let dry in a cooling rack set over a bowl or container.

How about a slice of cake?

A little strawberry sauce on the side is a nice accompaniment.

This piece of cake is for the band. I should have cut a larger slice.

Make sure you save some room for the music.

This is the opening track from CII:Second Son. I was only going to post songs with lyrics since, you know, I like to sing in the kitchen. But, this is too good not to share. The music gives you a good take on the tenor of the album. Definitely makes you want more.
17 Pygmies-Celestina XII

Singer Meg Maryatt’s vocals are warm, sultry and full of emotion in this next song, Celestina XIX, a reprise of sorts from the first Celestina album.
“Well, wherever we go
If you’re by my side
That will be my heaven
Be my heaven”
17 Pygmies-Celestina XIX

Here is a song from Celestina. You see, you’re going to want to get both albums.
17 Pygmies-Celestina VI

You can read more about 17 Pygmies and their older music here. You can buy their stuff there, here or from the band’s Myspace Page.

Cheers!

Posted in Cake | 6 Comments

Ottmar Liebert. Crispy Tofu With Soba, Garlic And Broccoli.

Posted on May 11, 2011 by I Sing In The Kitchen

Best Mother’s Day ever this year! This past Sunday I got to see one of my all time favorite guitar heroes in concert. That hero would be Ottmar Liebert.

I have loved Ottmar Liebert ever since I stumbled upon his album ‘Nouveau Flamenco’ back in 1993. I was freshly home from my honeymoon in Spain and was enamored of all things Spanish. The music and the food, especially.

The concert was incredible. It was at Tupelo Music Hall, an intimate venue close to where I live in Vermont. Any seat would have been perfect, but I was in the front row.

Ottmar came out, slipped off his sandals, put his right foot on a guitarist footstool (so cool….I’d never seen one used) and started playing. He mostly played with his eyes closed, his fingers flying over the strings.

The acoustics were lovely. Two percussionists had so many little tools that made a fascinating number of interesting sounds. There was also a bassist to round out the quartet. It’s the bass, to me, that gives Ottmar Liebert’s music a very definitive sound.

There was no speaking until after five songs. Once he spoke, Ottmar Liebert was totally engaging. Funny, too. He thought Vermont was very similar to his current place of residence, New Mexico.

Really, you need to see Ottmar Liebert if he is in your neck of the woods. He’s sublime live. And he happily obliged when I asked if he would pose in a photo with me. So cool.

Now for the food selection today. Mr. Liebert strikes me as a new-agey kind of vegetarian person. I didn’t ask him what he liked to eat. You know, it would have been weird. “Thanks so much for posing in the photo with me and signing my CD. What kind of food do you like most?” Nah. I’ll just take the barefooted playing as a tofu kind of guy.

Crispy Tofu With Soba, Garlic And Broccoli

Ingredients:

1 block firm tofu, cut into thirds
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tbs chopped white onion
2 Tbs sherry
1 head broccoli, chopped into florets
14 oz chicken broth
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp brown sugar
1 Tbs hoisin sauce
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 Tbs cornstarch
1 green onion, sliced
Soba noodles

Directions:

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add tofu; remove after 5 minutes. Drain and press some of the water out. Chop into bite sized pieces.

2. Cook soba according to package directions.

3. Heat 2 Tbs olive oil in a large non-stick pan. Add tofu and cook until browned on all sides, about 12-15 minutes. Once cooked, remove tofu and let drain on a plate covered with a paper towel. Note: the tofu will still be somewhat wet so be careful when you add it to the oil as it will spatter.

4. Add the onions and garlic to the pan; sauté 2 minutes. Add sherry, cook 2 minutes. Add broccoli and red pepper flakes; sauté 3 minutes.

5. Add chicken broth mixed with soy sauce, brown sugar, and hoisin sauce. Bring to a simmer for 5 minutes.

6. Remove a few Tbs of the sauce to a small bowl and whisk in the cornstarch. Pour the mixture into the pan and stir.

7. Return the tofu to the pan along with half of the green onions. Let simmer for a few minutes.

8. Serve over noodles and top with the rest of the green onions.

Recipe slightly adapted from Proceed With Caution

What you have been waiting for…THE OTTMAR MUSIC.

It is hard to narrow it down, but I think this just may be my favorite Ottmar Liebert song.
Ottmar Liebert-2 The Night

Also very exciting is that there is a free Santa Fe Desert Style Music Sampler that features Ottmar Liebert and some other musicians. Check it out here.

This lovely song is on the SSRI Sampler.
Ottmar Liebert-In The Arms Of Love

Buy Ottmar Liebert’s music here. Check out his website here. I especially enjoyed the ‘Guess This Noise’ on the right sidebar.

Cheers!

Posted in Main Courses | 3 Comments