Pirate Bakery strikes again!

I have a new recipe I've created for oatmeal spice coconut muffins.
Check them out over at my foodie blog...I'm considering incorporating it back into this one.
Anyways...try them out. They are yummy.

Perogy Party

So it's the night before I head off for 10 days to dance in the woods...

I'm baking up a storm and making sure our gear is all here. 

I'm also making the best damn perogies I've ever eaten.

My buddy Magnus has had it in his head for a while to make some gourmet perogies...he wanted to use ground steak, basil and drunken goat chees, and make another with marscapone and a few other cheeses and roasted garlic. Not to be left out I wondered what capicolla mixed with potato, onion, cheddar and roast garlic would taste like.

Today, instead of packing for my holidays, we finally got round to making them.

In the words of Homer: "heaghhhhhhhhh!"

They were delectable. The ones with steak in really were the best of the 3, but they were all delicious. I found a recipe in the interweb for someone's grandma's polish perogy dough recipe and we used that.

Perogy dough:

4 1/2 c flour

2 t salt

2 T melted butter

2 c fat free sour cream

2 eggs

1 egg yolk

2 t oil

You mix the dough together well and then let it sit covered for 20 minutes. Then you roll it out as thin as  you can on a floured surface, a minimum of  1/8 inch thick. Use a glass to cut out the circles and put about 1 t of whatever filling you like in them and wet them a bit and pinch hem shut, setting them on a floured surface. Apparently you can then freeze them, but we just cooked them all...and then ate them. Considering that it made nearly 5 dozen perogies that officially makes us gluttons I believe. We made the fillings before hand - all the meat was cooked and all the spices and things all mixed together and ready to go.

To cook the perogies you just boil water and drop them in in small groups, about a dozen at a time and cook until they've floated to the top and stayed there about 1 minute more.

I don't usually freak out too much over perogies... But I have to say, these were the best perogies I have ever had. It was a few hours of work, but so very worth it.

YUMMMM. 

And of course...I forgot to take pictures...sorry.

Now I just have to bake bout 5 dozen cookies and I can go to bed :)

If I forget to pop by again, have a great week.

I'm off to monkey dance in the mountains...

Cooking with Geo volume 1 zillion: Recipes I've snooched: English Toffee Cake

"I was told that there would be cake. The ratio of people to cake is too high..."

Today is a potluck at work. Because I bike or bus it to work, I always amuse my coworkers by assembling my desserts (which I am told I must bring or else) at work.
This morning was no exception. I had to assemble my English Toffee Cake for the potluck...a few of my friends arrived to see me in an apron with a hand mixer whipping cream, folding in lecure (I can't even pretend I can spell that word) and gelatin and sprinkling toffee bits. I've been thoroughly mocked...but they still want the cake. I like it too because I can futz around and make yummy dessert and have a piece and then not have a whole cake sitting around my house to eat.
This recipe is one of the few "public" recipes I'm allowed to share from the coffee shop Roca Jacks I was baker/night manager in in university. It was always devoured as soon as we put it out...I've no picture of the cake, but suffice it to say - it is easy and deeeeeeeeeeeelicious. People freak over it all the time.
As a little plug - you want kickass desserts and good (in house roasted) coffee and you're (for some reason) in Regina SK? Go to Roca Jacks. They'll hook you up.

It's just this simple: Take a good chocolate cake recipe (box, from scratch, whatever) that makes two 9 inch round cakes. Use it to make 3 cakes instead of 2 so you get 3 thinner layers of chocolate cake. You'll have to adjust the baking times a bit but you're big people...it'll work out. Trust me.

Ingredients: You need 3 thin chocolate cake layers, 1L whip cream, some icing sugar and vanilla, a package of Knox gelatin, some of your favourite lecure (Cream de Ccao is the best, but Kahlua will do) and 1c or so of chopped up skor bars or other kinds of toffee...That's all.

Let the cake layers cool COMPLETELY. You can't skip this. I made mine last night so they're good to go. Then take 1 litre of whipping cream and add 1 t vanilla and 2 T icing sugar and stir together in a clean, chilled bowl. Before you whip the cream take 1/3 cup of your favourite lecure (Cream de cacao, Baileys or Kahlua all work great) and heat in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Sprinkle 1 package of Knox gelatin over top of the lecur and let it sit (don't stir it yet).
Now, whip the cream until it is stiffly whipped. By the time this is done the lecure should be about room temperature. Stir it to dissolve as much gelatin as you can (some won't stir in, don't worry about it). Fold this into the whip cream and mix gently to get yummy whip. Layer cake + 1/3 the whip + plus 1/3 the toffee bits and repeat 2 times. There's enough whip that it makes thick yummy whippy layers. The gelatin isn't critical, but it helps the whip set and thickens the lecure so the cake will last a few days in the fridge if you don't eat it all right away (yeah right). Let it sit in the fridge an hour or so to set the cream and let the toffee sort of skooge together into yumminess.
Cut and eat and make groany noises.
I don't have a camera at work so I don't have a picture of this, but it's easy and yummy and looks amazing-I can't wait to eat at least one piece of it today at lunch.

Gotta go...much lab work to do to plan around lots of cake.
Later...:)

Muffin muffin muffin- oh- Muffin muffin hey

I love muffins. I could live on them...yesterday I made raspberry cornmeal muffins. I'm eating one of these muffins right now for breakfast...and they are delicious. I have to pass the recipe on so you can eat them too. I'd upload a photo but I should really get on with my morning and get ready for work...I'm just nibbling on a muffin and checking the news...and got distracted.
ANYways. Where was I?
Oh yeah. This yummy muffin here in my hand.
You can swap out low fat sour cream and a bit of applesauce (so I've been told by my Mum) in these for margarine and they're a bit healthier for you, but these are...delicious the way they are. They do not last more than a day or two in our house even when I make a bunch...too good.

RASPBERRY CORNMEAL MUFFINS

2 c flour
1/2 c cornmeal
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt

2 eggs
1/2 c melted margarine
1 c milk mixed with 1 t vinegar (or buttermilk - I never bother as it doesn't make a difference in this recipe and healthier)
2/3 c brown sugar
1 t vanilla

1 c frozen raspberries

Mix dry together and wet together and then stir *them* together until nearly mixed. Add fruit and mix until just mixed-don't overmix. Put in greased muffin tin (with papers) and bake at 375 for ~17-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean or you tap on the top of them gently and they "just" bounce back. They'll just be starting to brown on the edges. Do not overbake and they will be the moistest muffins in the world. Add 1/3 c pine nuts to this for absolute decadence. Actually, with this recipe, take out the cornmeal and add any variation of fruits and nuts or even 1/2 c oatmeal (soaked in 1/4 c milk a bit first) and you have a totally versatile, any-muffin-will-do mix. A bit of nutmeg, cinnamon or cardamom is never a bad idea to toss into other fruit muffins with this too...I mutate this into whatever we want at the time. Trial and error to the perfect muffins...
And right now I want another muffin.
Gotta go, it's rude to type with my mouth full.

Cooking with Geo Vol. 5: Beer makes everything better

After some banter with my good friend Magnus about how amazing Guinness gingerbread would be, I wasn't able to stop thinking about it, so i went hunting and tracked down a great recipe for it. At work, any excuse for a cake is a good one, and little Lily coming to be with us was a perfect reason to make a cake and test it out on my guinea pigs, er, I mean coworkers. It was a bit time consuming make with the waiting to cool part in the middle, but in the end was spicy, moist, cakey deliciousness. I had no Guinness (a tragedy I know) but I used a bottle of espresso oatmeal stout (which tastes very similar) and it worked very well. You even get about 1/2 c of beer left to sip while baking, which to me is like cooking with wine...cooking and sipping makes it taste even better :)
I served it with whipped cream and I will definitely be making it again. It was devoured by my coworkers before I thought to get a photo, so you'll just have to imagine the deliciousness. Lily's Mum also gives it two large and two tiny thumbs up. I thought if I was asked to share the recipe with all them I should probably post it here too so you can all go home and make it this weekend. It's seriously some of the best cake I've ever had...and in my life, I've had me a lot of cake!

Gramercy Tavern Guinness Gingerbread

Ingredients
1 cup oatmeal stout or Guinness Stout
1 cup dark molasses (not blackstrap)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of ground cardamom
3 large eggs
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
Confectioners sugar for dusting

Special equipment: a 10-inch (10- to 12-cup) bundt pan

Experimental Protocol
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Generously butter bundt pan and dust with flour, knocking out excess. Make a few sniggering remarks about bundt pans. Then move on...
Bring stout and molasses to a boil in a large saucepan, stirring often, and remove from heat. Whisk in baking soda, then cool to room temperature. (when you add the soda it really foams up a lot...don't freak out :) You really need a large saucepan)
Sift together flour, baking powder, and spices in a large bowl. Whisk together eggs and sugars in another bowl. Whisk in oil, then molasses mixture. Add to flour mixture and whisk until just combined.
Pour batter into bundt pan and rap pan sharply on counter to eliminate air bubbles. Bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out with just a few moist crumbs adhering, about 45-50 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack 5 minutes. Turn out onto rack and cool completely.

Serve cake, dusted with confectioners sugar, with whipped cream
Apparently it's best if you serve it the day after it's made. I did and it was freakishly good, so I can't argue...
Go have some cake...and a good weekend.
Bye :)

TNT for the brain

Well...I've been baking again.
At the Alzheimer's Walk, they gave out a few "brain" happy recipes, and I thought I'd try one out last night. Baking stuff when it's really cold out side (and I have PMS/eat the whole pantry cravings...*ahem*) cheers me up. I love muffins...they're one of my favourite things...and favourite things to *make*. I make damn fine muffins, if'n I do say so myself...working as a baker in university taught me the muffiny secrets of the gods.
Now, of course I did doctor the original recipe a bit, as I had no buttermilk and put raspberries in them instead of the dried cranberries called for (J doesn't like cranberries...don't even *think* about raisins...foul little things...).
So ANYways, I present to you, my recipe for:

Raspberry Flax Brain muffins
(see what I did there? Brain, instead of bran? Eh? Eh? Yes hold your applause...)

2 eggs
1 cup brown sugar (packed)
1 + 1/4 c milk
~1/4 c melted butter (~2-3 T)
1/3 c oil

1 c whole wheat flour
1 c white flour
3/4 c bran
3/4 c ground flax
1 t baking soda
1 t cinnamon
1T baking powder
1/2 t salt

1 c raspberrires

Whisk together the wet. Mix together the dry in a separate bowl and then stir together with wet until just mixed. Stir in fruit. Place in greased muffin tins (fills cups rather full) and bake @ 375 for ~20 minutes. Try not to overbake - check with a toothpick @ about 19 minutes...cool on rack. Once cooled, store in air tight container. It makes 12 yummy muffins.


For flax flour, you can buy whole flax and grind it up in a food processor, but our local grocer sells ground flax, so I used that. The recipe said 1 1/2 c buttermilk, but I forgot to buy some and wasn't about to walk 15 minutes in the freezing cold to get some - they still tasted very nice with my lazy replacing. I suppose you could put in 1 c milk and 1/2 c fat free sour cream and it would also be good...I ususally can't be bothered with buttermilk. You can't buy a 500 mL container of it where I am, and I never seem to use it all before it goes bad, so I just work around it. It always tastes better when you actually use it, I know, I know...but I'm trying to find healthier recipes. I'll probably do the fat free sour cream thing next time instead of butter.

I have to say I'm impressed with these...they're not too bad fat wise, and are very good for you ,what with the flax and bran. I'm having one right now the next day at coffee break and they're still moist and tasty. They aren't too dense or heavy...so I give them 4 1/2 out of 5 golden brains. I will definitely make them again, probably with blueberries next time.

And my brain never felt better...

So it begins...

Ah ha ha HA!
I was at the grocers today and what did I find?
Nothing less than seasonal nectar of the gods....egg nog.
Yum.
And so I have begun my seasonal holiday breakfast indulgence....eggnog pancakes.

Oh yeah. Sooooo good...

I was so happy with breakfast I must pass on the secret formula (with years of tweaking by yours truly) so you all could have some too...

SWEET NOGGIN' CAKES

1 1/2 c flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
2 T melted butter
2 T sugar
1 egg blended
1 1/2 c eggnog
dash nutmeg

Mix dry together and mix wet together...then mix them BOTH together...but don't overmix. Use ~ 1/3 c batter and fry in a bit of oil on med/low heat, flipping when golden brown and bubbled. Serve with bacon and syrup.
These are guaranteed to get you a kiss or two of gratitude.
Seriously...works for me every time.

But now...I must dash. We've spent a great day out walking in the woods and have been to the Mendel gallery to check out the display of automitons and animated exhibits (cool...) and we're off to a charity shindig to hear a good breaks DJ from calgary Peter Wilde spin a bit. I plan on shaking my posterier faster than the speed of light -for charity no less. It will be nice to leave my troubles far behind for a while. Great end to a great day.

Let the monkeydancing begin!

Tasty things: Volume 1

Okey Dokey...just look what I made for supper the other day.
Yummy yes?
I love it so much, I must post again my favorite latest foody creation and say how to make it because frankly - I'm a genious :) And you should all have some too...


And so I present my recipe for Tofu Parmegian:

Tofu bit:
Extra Firm Tofu
3/4 c flour
1 c Breadcrumbs with 1/4 c parmegian cheese, 1/2 t Cayenne pepper, basil, cumin and garlic powder mixed in
2 eggs (or soy milk if you’re vegan) beaten with 1/2 t Tobasco in

1-2 c oil for frying

For sauce:
1/4 c red wine
3 cloves garlic
1T oregano
pepper to taste
1T beef stock (or veggie if you’re a veggie)
5 mushrooms diced
1/2 c diced onion
1/2 c diced red & green pepper
1 little can tomato paste and 1 small can diced tomatoes


1 1/2 c grated cheddar cheese and another 1/4 c parmesian cheese mixed together

How to:
1. Rinse and drain the tofu.
2. While it’s draining, sauté the wine, garlic, onions, veggies and
spices together until onions are clear. Add tomato paste and diced
tomatoes and simmer on low, stirring occasionally while cooking the
tofu.
3. Cut up the brick of tofu into finger sized pieces – you should get ~
36 or so out of a brick. Roll the tofu in flour and dip in the
eggwash and then coat generously in breadcrumbs mixed with spices.
Put ~1 inch of oil in the pan and get to a medium fryish heat and fry the tofu bits until they’re golden brown, turning as needed. Let them cool & drain on paper towel to soak up extra oil.
4. Layer half the tofu pieces in a 9X9 baking pan. Layer on half the
cheese and sauce. Layer the rest of the tofu, sauce and top with rest of the cheese. Bake @ 350 for ~5 minutes until the cheese is melted. Use any extra sauce for dipping the crunchy tasty bits in. Serve immediately whilst still crunchy with a veggie of choice (to make it slightly better for you :) ).
All I have to say is...Yummers.