not live fish

In anticipation her trip to Korea (read: many weeks of eating unidentified fish), my friend requested a last dessert of sorts: a batch of simple, choco-tastic brownies. I opted for this arrogant-sounding recipe from my mom. 맛있는 (delicious).

The Very Best Brownies

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups sugar
7 tablespoons cocoa
4 eggs
1 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips (or nuts, both optional)

Heat the oven to 350F F. In a medium-size bowl, mix together the butter, sugar, and cocoa.

Add the eggs one at a time, blending after each addition. Add the remaining ingredients and mix them together just until well combined.

Pour the batter into a greased 9-by-13-inch pan.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow them to cool for 15 minutes before cutting.
Baking tunes: Uber American. Think Bryan Adams John Cougar Mellencamp. That's right -- the Cougar stays.

coco-nutty

For my friend Heather's birthday picnic, I decided to give a nod to Ziggy Marley with these coconut cupcakes from Simply Recipes.

Coconut Cupcakes with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

Here are the ingredients:

Cupcakes

• 3/4 cup of unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cup of sugar
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup of canned coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups of flour
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1/2 cup of sweetened desiccated coconut

Frosting

• 1/2 cup of butter , room temperature
• 8 oz of cream cheese , room temperature
• 1/2-1 cup of powdered sugar (or more for consistency)
  
• 1/4 cup of sweetened desiccated coconut
• a few drops of yellow food coloring (optional)

The recipe advised against using light coconut milk. I didn't read that part until coming back from the grocery with light coconut milk. Still good.
I prefer to fold in the coconut by hand instead of using a mixer. Because I'm old school like that. Instead of making 20 small cupcakes, I opted for 12 big guys and six minis. To share.I added a little yellow food coloring to the frosting to make them a little more festive for Heather's 3.1.
After frosting, roll edges in a plate of coconut flakes. For the minis, just sprinkle on top.

Baking tunes: Ziggy's papa ("Sun is Shining") and various Virgin Islands mainstays, i.e. music that reminds you of suntan lotion, beer with lime, and charming inefficiency.

rhymes with butternut

A few years ago my friend Hillsies bought me the Field Guide to Produce because she thinks it's hilarious that I'm a vegetarian. She left the receipt inside, so I'm pretty sure she expected me to just return it, but now it's a handy resource when I see intimidating-sounding items at Whole Foods. I also learned that the word "squash" is derived from the Algonquin word "askutasquash," which means something that is eaten green or in an unripe state. So, you know, now you can enjoy these cookies on a deeper level.

Butternut Squash Raisin Cookies
1 cup margarine or unsalted butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup egg substitute
1 cup butternut squash puree
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups unbleached flour
1 cup raisins

Cream butter and sugars together until fluffy and then mix in egg. Mix in squash and vanilla.
Stir in salt, spices, baking soda, and flour. Fold in raisins.
Chill at least 3 hours or overnight. Scoop tablespoonfuls of dough onto a Silpat-ed cookie sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until edges are light brown.
Remove and cool. The cookies are sweet, but next time I think I'll add cream cheese frosting. Because frosting makes everything better.
Baking tunes: The O.C. Soundtrack that I received as a kind-of joke at a white elephant exchange at work a few years ago. Oh, how I miss you beautiful So-Cal disasters.

best of the midwest

This week we had our first boozy book club meeting. As expected, we discussed the novel for a hot 10 minutes and then gossiped the rest of the time. I even read the entire thing, which I can't say for everyone (you know who you are). In honor of our selection, Gilead by Marilynne Robinson -- very good, btdubs -- I made a variation of Ms. Beulah Schott's Pride of Iowa cookies. I call them...

Son of a Preacher Man Cookies

1 cup shortening
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup organic white sugar
1/2 cup egg substitute
2 cups unbleached white flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup coconut
2 1/2 tablespoons chopped almonds and peanuts
1 cup raisins
2 cups old fashioned oats
Cream shortening, sugars, and egg. Mix in the flour, baking soda, and baking powder. With a spatula (or strong stand mixer, if you have one), stir in the coconut, and oats. Chop the nuts (feel free to add more and/or other varieties) and add to the mixture. Chill for 3 hours or overnight. Once chilled, scoop spoonfuls of dough and bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes or until edges are light brown. Cool. Try to think of intelligent questions about the book.
Baking tunes: Fonzie's Make Out Music. I stole it from my dad. And it's awesome.

new baby bliss

Sometimes it's hard to say goodbye. Other times, you gleefully dump your old mixer in the trash (or on top, so neighborhood scavengers don't have to dig) and happily move on to the new object of your affection. Last week I brought home a pretty new five-speed KitchenAid hand mixer and we've been having so much fun together (thanks, Mom!) I haven't quite attained my ultimate goal yet, but I feel a step closer now. Plus, it's so quiet that I don't feel bad about disrupting my neighbors at odd hours. Pretty considerate of me, right? Take note, Britney-lover in 3C.

mellow yellow

The first bbq of the season is a grand return to the delights of summer: Drinking outside! Grilling! Dancing in the driveway! (See drinking outside). I modified a recipe from epicurious to see if it could compete with the Martha version. It did. The cookies survived the journey to Queens with nary a crack. I also learned that lemon cookies and mojitos complement each other quite well, though next time both should probably be consumed in moderation.

Glazed Lemon Pepper Cornmeal Cookies
Makes about 18 cookies
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup organic white sugar
1/4 cup egg substitute
3/4 cup unbleached white flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
Green pepper
Dash salt
Finely grated zest of one lemon

Cream butter, sugar, and egg in a large bowl. Blend in flour, cornmeal, salt and pepper (I just added about four grinds' worth). Stir in lemon zest. Chill at least three hours or overnight. Once chilled, roll dough into tablespoon-sized balls and slightly flatten. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 12 minutes or until edges are light brown. Cool and prepare frosting.
Lemon Glaze
1 cup (plus more) powdered sugar
Juice of one lemon

Mix one cup powdered sugar with lemon juice. Keep adding more powdered sugar until you reach your desired consistency. Drizzle on to cooled cookies. Go to Queens.
Baking tunes: Today's cookies were sponsored by the letter "L" -- Laura Burhenn, Le Loup, Levy, Lisa Loeb, and The Ladies and Gentlemen.

good golly miss molly

I like New Haven. It combines the charming homes and tree-lined streets of suburbia with the mugging risk and high crime rate of an urban environment. Still, creating a treat for my friend Molly in CT was daunting: it had to be fancy enough to be birthday-worthy yet stable enough to withstand the journey on Metro North. The birthday girl gave them a thumbs up. I hope she wasn't just being nice.

Peanut Butter Whoasies
For the cookies:
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
White chocolate chunks

For the frosting:
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Powdered sugar
Splash of skim milk
Cream peanut butter, egg, milk, and sugar. Yes, just those three ingredients. Seriously.
Press spoonfuls of the dough into a mini muffin pan. Bake for 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Remove from the oven and drop a spoonful of white chocolate chunks in the center of each cup and press down with the back of the spoon. Return the pan to the oven for about five more minutes. Remove from the oven and cool.
For the frosting, beat the peanut butter, butter, and powdered sugar until you attain the desired consistency. Spoon into a pastry bag and pipe on the peanut butter cups. Consume.
Baking tunes: The Shins. It reminds me of when we were all confused young twentysomethings in D.C. and could, like, really relate to Garden State.