Belated Wino Wednesday: Jack and Coke Cupcakes

So I decided to bring some boozy cupcakes to my friends at the wine tasting. I decided to go with boozy cupcakes, which are much-loved. Incidentally, as a result of these, I've been upgraded from "Cupcake Lady" to "Cupcake Goddess," at least according to Timothy.

Here's how to do it:
Preheat the oven to 350.
Pour 2 cups of Coca Cola into a saucepan and let it heat. You'll need it boiling soon.

Mix together in a bowl:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 cup unpacked dark brown sugar
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon each baking soda and baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Add:
1/2 c. canola or vegetable oil
1 c. milk
2 eggs

Add:
7/8 cup boiling Coca Cola
1/8 cup Jack Daniel's

Stir well. Put into lined cupcake tins. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Cool completely.

Frosting:
Whip together 2 oz cream cheese and 2 tablespoons butter.
Beat in 2-3 cups of powdered sugar a bit at a time, alternating with cola, which should be syrupy now. I wound up using about 1/2 cup. After it's the texture you like, add half a shot of Jack Daniels. Garnish with tiny lime wedges.

Scrappy Saturday: Linguine alla Aurora

There's a great new Italian place, Amici, near my local wine shop. Because I usually go straight from work to the weekly wine tasting, I often grab dinner there. They don't have too much in the way of vegetarian dishes, but what they do have is fabulous. (Pizza with caramelized onions, roasted garlic, and fresh arugula? Yes please!)

One of my favorite dishes there is their Spaghetti alla Aurora. It's their own spin on classic aurora sauce, which is basically creamy tomato sauce, named for its color. Amici makes theirs with garlic and chilis. It's divine (I don't share!), but I wondered whether it could be done vegetarian, with what I had on hand. Whole grain linguine was on sale, so I had a box of it on hand. We also have garlic, an onion that needed eating, and some chilis and basil from the garden. I also have almond milk lying around.

I started out by pouring the remains of a carton of almond milk into a saucepan. I had about 1/3 to 1/2 a carton left. Do not use chocolate or vanilla flavored for this recipe. Unsweetened is good here, but if you don't have it, the world will not end. I added five large cloves of pressed and peeled garlic, a thick slice of peeled onion, two small red chilis (prick them a few times), and a handful of fresh basil. Bring that to a boil, then let it simmer about fifteen minutes. I then took it off the heat, covered the pan, and left it to steep for half an hour.

Melt 2 T. of vegan margarine in another small saucepan. Add 2 T. of flour and stir until smooth. Strain in the milk mixture, and whisk over medium heat until it thickens. If it gets too thick, add a bit more almond milk. If it gets too thin, mash equal parts margarine and flour into a smooth paste and add that. I mixed in some chili flakes and 2 T. nutritional yeast. At this point, you'd normally mix in some tomato puree to give it a lovely color. I did not have any on hand, so I used the last of the tomato paste I had on hand, as well as some tomato sauce that we had in the cupboard.

Toss with pasta.

Another special feature Sunday

Today, we're having some guests for dessert. They're trying to watch what they eat, so I'm planning to make a version of fruit shortcakes. Because I have so many different delightful berries (strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries) courtesy of the Farmer's Market, I will serve everyone with a set of 4. 

I started with almond creme. I altered a recipe from the PKD and PLD website. 

My recipe included: 

1 c. almond milk

1.5 t. vanilla

.5 t. almond extract

2 T. of sweetener

2 T. cornstarch blended with 2 T. water

1 t. Earth Balance

First, put the almond milk into a saucepan. Then, give the cornstarch mixture a quick stir to make sure it is smooth and free from lumps, and pour it in with the almond milk. 

Whisking constantly, heat over medium until bubbling. It will start to thicken. Add the sweetener (I used sugar, agave nectar would be good, and honey would be fine for non-vegans) and extracts and continue to whisk for a total of about five minutes. If it starts to thicken too quickly or splashes you, turn the heat down to medium-low. It will be fine. 

Add the Earth Balance (butter is fine for people who eat dairy) and whisk in. Give it a taste. You might want more sweetener or extracts. That's it for the creme. Set it aside.

Next up, we're going to make some simple scones. The recipe I found called for self-rising flour, which I didn't have. Thanks to the Food Network's web site, though, I figured out how to substitute. (Thanks, Food Network!) The original recipe also called for dairy, which I'm going to skip. Here's my version of Plain Scones.

3 c. flour
1.5 T. salt
4.5 t. baking powder
6 T. Earth Balance
2 t. sugar
1.5 c. almond milk
vanilla and/or almond extract to taste (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375. Sift the dry ingredients together, then cut in the Earth Balance.

Stir in the milk. It will be a sticky mess.

Dump onto a floured countertop, and knead once or twice, then roll out about an inch thick.

Cut into 2-inch circles and place on a greased (or non-stick) cookie sheet. Pop in the oven. They'll be done in 15-20 minutes.

Serve as you wish. You can do something more traditional, splitting the scone and topping with fresh berries and the creme, or you can make the berries into jam and play up the scone scone. I

I split each scone in half sandwich-style and then quartered it. I added a dollop of the almond cream, some berries (slice the strawberries), and then the top. I arranged that on the plate with some whole fruit, and two quick jams to decorate.

Blackberry-blueberry quick jam:
1 to 1.5 c. of fruit (half blackberries, half blueberries)
1-2 T. sugar/sweetener
1 T. lemon juice

Bring to a simmer in a small saucepan. Mash the berries while they cook. Press through a sieve or food mill. Put in the refrigerator.

Raspberry quick jam:
1 to 1.5 c. raspberries
1-2 t. lemon juice
1 t. sugar

Follow the same procedure as above.

And there she is! 

Sister on Sunday

Normally, on Sundays, I'll be posting a make-ahead or big-batch recipe that you can eat throughout the week when you're too tired or lazy to prepare yourself a full meal. We've all been there. Depending on the week, I might also make a yummy a Sunday dinner for the family (even though I am single, I like to go and cook for my mom).

However, this weekend, my younger sister is in town. I'm making us all a special treat. Rainbow juice! This is my first time trying it., so I'm a bit nervous about the layering.

At the market today, I bought a pint each of blueberries, golden raspberries, and red raspberries. I'm going to go pick some blackberries, too. I have some strawberries (and more golden raspberries) hidden away as well. I'll also be using a peach or two and some kale. That might sound horrid, and it would be if you drank it on its own, but a handful of it is okay in a blended juice. Last night, I had kale, apple, lime, kiwi, and peach juice. It looked like I'd pureed an alien that had chlorophyll in its veins, but everyone thought it tasted nice.

Scrappy Saturday: The Best Way to Eat Tomatoes

These are the tomatoes that I picked from my garden yesterday. As you can see, I've got tons now that the sun has arrived. Sure, I could eat them just plain (and often do, when they're still warm from the sun), but I decided to cook 'em. I base my recipe on one from Crescent Dragonwagon's Passionate Vegetarian, which is still one of my favorite cookbooks. I think it's the only one that has ever actually fallen apart from use. 

I probably have about two pints of tomatoes here. If, like me, you have several varieties, segregate them by size. This will help make them cook more evenly. Make sure that they are clean and dry. Take the herb leaves off of their woody stems and give them a quick chop. Depending on the type of herb you use, you'll need a teaspoon of a tablespoon. I used a scant teaspoon of thyme.

Melt 1-2 T. of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When it starts to sizzle, add the big tomatoes and shake the pan to make sure they're coated with butter. After half a minute or so, add the medium tomatoes. Keep shaking the pan. The tomatoes will start to pop as their skins split. Add the herbs and the tiny tomatoes, and shake again. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve. 

Note: If you use just one kind of tomato and they are all about the same size, add them all at once and add the herbs once half of the tomatoes have split. 

Bonus points: When you add the herbs, add one or two cloves of pressed garlic as well. Shake once or twice, add salt and pepper, then pour on some cream or half and half. Warning: you probably won't want to share that kind.