The Road to.....

Hell is paved with good intentions.
That's what my Mom told me once. I tend to think it may occasionally be true. It was this past week at least.

My week didn't actually go to hell. I had things I intended to write about, recipes that I have come to really like and wanted to share but then life happened, and friends came to visit, and no pictures were taken (how could I not take pictures of these people and the fun we had) and time just got away from me, (and clearly punctuation has gotten away from me) and the things I wanted to share with you were neatly spooned into storage containers and zip top bags and set in the refrigerator to make someone a happy lunch this week.....

It was an oddly quiet week and for some reason, even though I had great plans and plenty of time, I just couldn't get around to writing, or more precisely, I couldn't find the words to say what I wanted to say. Half our family was gone for a soccer tournament in Spain (I know. We don't feel bad for them) leaving the other half a little lost as to how to spend our time. The house was just too big, and while there was warmth and laughter (Morgan and I do know how to have a good time together) we just missed sharing life with the rest of our little tribe. Thankfully the weekend came and with that friends. Thank goodness for friends.

There were sleepovers, and giggly girls wanting to be fed, and baking, and marinating, and second guessing on an appetizer that I served at a BBQ. Olives warmed in a honey and sherry vinegar reduction. I bought this crazy huge jar of honey at the market a few weeks back. It was an impulse buy.  Well that's not entirely true, it was more pressure, hard sell, and lack of language skills that lead me to trade money for a giant jar of honey. Honestly though I am not a honey person and it could take me the better part of a year to get through all this honey. This recipe though called for 2 cups of the stuff, WOO HOO!

I cooked the olives, tasted them, got scared. Let them sit a bit, tasted them again. Not so scared but now concerned. Was this a recipe that I made because of the beautiful pictures, and intriguing ingredient list that in reality would just be weird?

Nah, it was good, addictively so. Salty, sweet, sour, sticky goodness. I'm all set if my intentions this week head South.

Warm Olives with Honey Gastrique
adapted from Tyler Florence Family Meal
3 cups Sherry vinegar
2 cups honey
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 bay leaves
1 large fresh sprig of rosemary
Grated zest of one orange
Grated zest of one lemon
5 garlic cloves peeled and smashed
1 pound of mixed olives, unpitted

In a large shallow skillet combine the vinegar, honey, and olive oil. Bring to a simmer over medium low heat. Add the bay leaves, rosemary, orange and lemon zest, garlic and olives.
Simmer uncovered for 30-35 minutes or until the liquid has reduced to a thick syrupy consistency.
Serve the olives warm.

My Day Thus Far.......

Here is how my day started.
4:15 am, pushing the bounds of my "morning personhood", the call to prayer sounds. The speaker is directly across from our bedroom window. I think I can drift back to sleep.
4:45 am, a pack of neighborhood stray dogs begin howling at the rising sun, joining in chorus to a random rooster, and other birds.
Since the world is waking up around me I may as well get up.
I turn on my laptop, make coffee, consider what I might make for breakfast for the sleepover girls.
Sip coffee, look at Facebook, throw together a dough to make cinnamon rolls.
5:45 am, some sort of alarm I have never heard starts sounding from an upstairs bedroom. It is not unlike the sound of police sirens at full volume.
The sleeping teens, including the owner of the blaring alarm, do not stir from the downstairs guest room.
I run upstairs and find someone's Blackberry phone ringing away to the morning alarm.
I try to turn it off but only manage to hit the snooze. Hmmm, how to turn off the alarm. I am not at all familiar with Blackberrys.
Ah, that must be the volume button, that can buy me some time until I figure this out. Oops, nope not the volume, I may have just changed some settings. Shoot.
The alarm sounds again. I hit a button and accidentally call someone named Tinta. Tinta isn't happy. At least I think she isn't happy. I can't tell because she doesn't speak english.
I hit another button and end the call. I think. Phew.
Okay, what is that button.......Oh good Lord. I accidentally take several pictures of the floor and closet. I also may have possibly taken a video which I really hope doesn't have sound.
I may have said some unkind words about the phone.
The alarm sounds again. I have figured out the snooze function and hit it.
I google how to turn off the alarm. That doesn't work.
I google how to turn off the DAMN phone.
The alarm goes off again, this time the sound is a little muffled because it is at the bottom of the laundry basket. Snooze is hit again.
It is now 6:30. I consider backing over the phone in the driveway.
Instead, I wake up the sleeping girl, which I should have done 45 minutes ago, and have her turn off her phone.
Sigh.
Good morning.

Brown Sugar Caramel Cinnamon Rolls
adapted from the Pioneer Woman
For the dough:
2 cups milk
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 package yeast
2 cups whole wheat flour
3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
For the filling:
1 cup butter melted
1 cup dark brown sugar lightly packed
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
For the frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
1 cup butter at room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon maple extract

To make the dough: Over medium high heat warm the milk, butter, and sugar. Just warm it through, don't let it simmer. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or large mixing bowl, stir together the yeast, flours, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Add the milk mixture and with a dough hook blend until a soft dough forms, or using a wooden spoon stir the dough until it comes together. Spritz the dough with a little oil, cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise for 1 hour.
While the dough rises make the filling and frosting.
For the filling: Stir together the butter, brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
For the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer beat together the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. On low speed add the powdered sugar and beat until well combined. Add the extracts and combine. Set aside.
To assemble: Turn out the risen dough onto a floured surface. Knead to bring the dough together. Roll out the dough into a large rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Spread the filing mixture over the surface and roll up. Pinch the seam closed and slice into 12 equal rolls.
Place in a 15X10 inch baking pan (you can use a 9X13 but it will be crowded), lined with parchment paper. Cover with a towel and let rise again for 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375. Bake the rolls for 15-18 minutes. Immediately after removing from the oven spread the rolls with 1/3 of the frosting. Let cool for 15 minutes and frost with remaining frosting before serving.

À Bientôt

Sweet friends came to Tunisia this past week. They will be moving here in August and to say that we can't wait is an understatement. I'm counting down the days I'm so excited. 132 days. Sigh, it's like waiting for Christmas.

Yesterday was their last day here for a while, we squeezed in a few more cups of coffee, important chats, a little site seeing, a little getting lost....... Just enough to leave them excited to return minus the getting lost part. It was a beautiful day, the sky was impossibly blue, the Med a crystal clear turquoise pool, the day was warm but there was enough of a breeze to keep you the perfect temperature.

To ease into the day I made a coffeecake. It was very moist, and rich with a crunchy caramelized topping. I think it set the mood for a perfect final day until we see them again soon.

À bientôt, see you soon Marty and Bridged!

Saturday Morning Coffeecake
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 cups dark brown sugar, divided
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups butter
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 and grease a 9X13 inch baking pan.
In a food processor combine the flours, sugar, 1 cup brown sugar, and salt, pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. If you don't have a food processor whisk together the flour, sugar and salt and cut in the butter until it resembles coarse crumbs. Reserve 2 cups of the crumb mixture, and place the remaining crumb mixture in a medium mixing bowl.
To the mixing bowl add the baking powder, baking soda and mix well. Add the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla and stir well to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan.
To the 2 cups reserved crumb mixture add 1 cup dark brown sugar and the cinnamon. Mix well and sprinkle the crumbs over the batter. Bake until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, approximately 35-40 minutes.
If you can manage it, allow the cake to cool slightly before serving. I dug in right away and have the burned roof of my mouth to prove it. Totally worth it though.

Morning

I wanted to show you the beautiful blue skies we've been having of late. Is this a great reason to get out of bed in the morning or what?  I'm kind of strange, I am very much a morning person. Actually I am very much an early morning person, and it's even better in my book if that morning is a Monday.

I know, strange right?

If you are however not a morning person, I make the case that these muffins might just persuade you otherwise.

Morning Muffins
Makes 2 dozen
2 cups grated zucchini
2 cups grated carrot
2 apples grated
1 cup grated unsweetened coconut
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar lightly packed
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup olive oil
6 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Coarse sugar for topping

Preheat the oven to 350. Line a muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.

In a large bowl mix together the zucchini, carrot, and apple. In another mixing bowl whisk together the coconut, flours, cornmeal, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, salt and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the zucchini mixture and stir well to combine.
In a small bowl or glass measuring cup mix together the oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold together until just incorporated. The mixture may be a bit lumpy.
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared muffin tins and then sprinkle each muffin liberally with coarse sugar. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Allow to sit in the muffin tins for 5 minutes then remove to a rack to cool completely.

Kefta Mkaouara

We are wrapping up our spring break holiday here. The girls went off to Singapore to see old friends, and we played host and tour guide to Andy's brother Mike here in Carthage. I was hoping to get to the gym regularly, meet a friend and her newly adopted daughter for coffee, drive out into the countryside, and get around to that "to do list". The reality however consisted of my coughing and wheezing, and alternately guzzling cough syrup and popping Tylenol for the first half of the week. Bronchitis is not a fun way to spend a holiday, though I'd take it over the stomach flu anytime.

While the cough and congestion lingers a little I was feeling well enough for a short outing here and there by midweek. Andy and I made it out to the ruins of Utica. Utica was the first Phoenician colony founded in North Africa. It was a sweet spot, the ruins aren't as impressive as Dougga, but they are easily navigated, and it's a nice place to stop for a picnic lunch and stroll through the hills.

On our walk through the hills we came cross a young man tending his cattle and then a few feet further down the path we ran across some sheep. The lambs were adorable, springing straight up in the air.

Another outing led us to Le Musee National du Bardo, the Bardo houses an impressive collection of mosaics taken from all over Tunisia. I was set to be underwhelmed, but the museum turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. Not all the exhibit space is open yet, there is extensive renovation going on. It will be fabulous when completed.

This mosaic of Poseidon was one of my favorites.

And the door....

I have a well documented thing for doors.

I don't know why this one wasn't painted blue as is the custom. Sometimes if they have the Star of David, as this one does, they will be painted yellow. I loved seeing this in its natural wood state. I think it's beautiful.

We also tried to treat Mike to local delicacies. There were a few Shwarma, and local seafood spots that were hit and at home, while not cooking authentically Tunisian/North African, I incorporated some of those flavors into what we ate. Beans with preserved lemon, Harrisa glazed chicken, and on Mike's last night I did a little research and made a tagine. Kefta Mkaouara, is a tagine of highly seasoned meatballs cooked in a spicy tomato sauce. Typically at the end eggs are poached on top, I omitted that step as I liked how the tagine looked and tasted without the addition of the rich egg yolks. Maybe next time.

This meal comes together fairly easily, we served it with couscous but I read that it is tradition to serve it with bread. The tagine is placed on the table and each person uses the bread to scoop out meatballs and sauce. Definitely next time. I used all beef for the meatballs though the recipe calls for a mix of lamb and beef. I also didn't use optional cinnamon in the meatballs, use it if you like.

If you don't have a tagine don't worry, a dutch oven or wide saute pan works just as well.

Kefta Mkaouara Tagine

adapted from Paula Wolfert

For the meatballs

1 lb. ground beef or lamb or a combination of the two

2 slices stale sandwich bread, crusts removed and the bread ground fine

1 medium red onion minced

2 cloves of garlic minced

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

For the tomato sauce

3, 15 ounce cans of tomato puree

1 medium red onion diced

3 cloves of garlic minced

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon cumin

1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, your preference

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Olive oil

3-4 eggs (optional)

For the meatballs:

In a large bowl mix together the bread crumbs, onion, garlic, paprika, cumin, salt, cinnamon if using, cayenne pepper and the fresh herbs. Add the ground meat and knead all the ingredients to gether. Form the meat into walnut sized balls and set aside. 

Heat a large shallow saute pan over medium heat. Add a few tablespoons of olive oil and saute the meatballs in batches until browned, but not cooked through. Set the meatballs aside while making the sauce.

For the sauce:

In a dutch oven, tagine base, or saute pan heat some olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and saute until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic, paprika, cumin, cayenne pepper, brown sugar and salt. Saute for another 3 minutes. Add the tomato puree, reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 5 minutes. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasonings. Add half fresh herbs reserving remainder for garnish.

Add the meatballs, cover the pan and simmer for 10 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through. 

If desired, break the eggs over the top of the meatballs and cook until the whites are solid and yolks are partially set approximately 7 minutes. Sprinkle with reserved herbs and serve.

To serve:

Kefta Mkaouara is traditionally served in the same dish in which it was cooked with each person using bread for scooping up the meatballs from his own side of the dish. Couscous is also lovely served with this tagine.

Roasted Carrots

I have always liked vegetables. As a kid, my mom could count on me to eat any vegetable that she put on the table without a hassle, except for cooked carrots. I would eat my requisite spoonful but that was it. 

Mom was busy.  With 3 young children and a fledgling graphic design business there wasn't much creative thought left for meal planning. That is code for the cooked carrots in question were of the frozen variety. Frozen Carrots in Brown Sugar Sauce to be precise. I can still see their orange and white packaging and hear the ominous clank as their frozen mass hit the bottom of her Revere Ware saucepan.

Now you should know, I am not a frozen vegetable snob, but there is just something about frozen carrots that just doesn't translate. They really lose their texture and get sort of mushy and strange. Those early cooked carrot exposures put the whole vegetable off for me.

Slowly I came back around. First there was carrot cake, then raw dipped in Ranch dressing, then carrots in soups and stews. I could eat all those without issue, but I just couldn't get past the whole cooked carrot side dish. Too mushy or too under cooked, smothered in sauce, or strangely seasoned. Carrots were the bitter disappointment of the vegetable world.

When my girls were younger I came across a Barefoot Contessa recipe for roasted carrots. Simply prepared, just carrots, olive oil, salt and black pepper. They weren't too bad. The kids ate them, Andy liked them and we had them a few times more and then they dropped off the radar. Then last week at the market I found gorgeous bunches of carrots. I grabbed one and threw it in my basket, I wasn't sure what I'd do with it but they were so pretty and spring like I couldn't resist. 

I started off with the Barefoot Contessa recipe again and roasted the carrots until they started going golden brown in spots. Then I drizzled on a bit of honey gave them a stir and let them roast a bit longer. When they came out of the oven I gave them a quick sprinkle with some sea salt that was mixed with Bergamot orange peel. 

They were great. 

I've made them 3 times since.

I think I've been converted.

This really isn't a recipe, I'll just tell you how I did it and you can follow along at home if you like.

Preheat the oven to 375. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Scrub and peel carrots, whatever amount floats your boat, and then cut them into 2 inch pieces. Give the carrots a good slosh of olive oil, a sprinkle of salt, a few grinds of black pepper and then spread them out on the baking sheet. Roast the carrots for 30 minutes stirring once halfway through. After 30 minutes drizzle the carrots with a few tablespoons of honey and stir well. Roast them again for another 5-10 minutes. Pull them out and sprinkle with coarse sea salt. The carrots I used were thick and chunky, if yours are thinner you'll probably want to cook them for a lesser amount of time. In the end you want carrots that are a little firm, browned in places and most importantly aren't mushy.

A few weeks back I played around with some flavored sea salts. I used one for this recipe, the fragrant Bergamot orange really played well with the carrots. It's very easy and they make nice gifts. You can find the how to on Heidi Swanson's lovely blog 101 Cookbooks.

All Sorts of Irish Whoopie Pies

For the past few years I have made Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes for a friends St. Patrick's Day party. If I must say so myself, they are always a hit. Whats not to like? Guinness Stout and Chocolate Cupcake? Yum.... Irish Whiskey Ganache Filling? More Yum.... Irish Cream Buttercream Frosting? Stop. Drool. I can't go on....

The first year I made them someone remarked that they were offended by the name, "Really, Shelly that's not very sensitive of you to name them Irish Car Bombs". For the record I am not trying to offend anyone or back any sort of political organization with baked goods. They were named after a cocktail. I didn't do the naming.

Moving here I aimed to keep up the tradition. The baking, not the offending that is. While there haven't been any St. Patty's Day parties (that I was invited to at least) it is the day before our Spring Break, and I think people might need a little sweet to get them through the day. Okay, maybe they need a little booze with some sweet to get them through the day. I wasn't feeling the cupcakes this year, so instead of making cupcakes, I translated the Irish Car Bomb Cupcake into a Whoopie Pie.

Guinness Stout and Chocolate Cupcake = Irish Stout, Chocolate, and Coffee Whoopie Pie
Irish Whiskey Ganache filling = The same
Irish Cream Buttercream Frosting = The same

Very insensitive I know.

I made a very, VERY, large amount of Whoopie Pies. Halve the recipe if you aren't very hungry, or if you're not sharing.

Irish Stout Whoopie Pies with Irish Whiskey and Irish Cream Buttercream Filling
AKA Irish Car Bomb Whoopie Pies
adapted from Endless Simmer
For the whoopie pies:
5 cups all purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoon espresso powder
2 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sour cream
1 cup milk
2 egg
1 cup Irish Stout Beer
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cup lightly packed dark brown sugar
1 cup butter
For the ganache:
2 cups of heavy cream
2 cups chopped bittersweet chocolate
1/4 cup Irish Whiskey
For the buttercream:
3 cups of butter at room temperature
8 cups of icing sugar
1/3 cup Irish Cream Liqueur

For the ganache filling:

In a saucepan bring the heavy cream to a simmer. Immediately turn off the heat, add the chopped chocolate and let the mixture sit for 3 minutes. Stir the chocolate and cream until very smooth. Set aside and let cool to room temperature.

For the whoopie pie:

Preheat the oven to 350. In a mixing bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder and salt and then set aside. In another mixing bowl whisk together the sour cream, milk and baking soda and then set aside. In another mixing bowl whisk together the egg, beer, and vanilla and then set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg and beer mixture and blend. At this point the batter will look horrid and you'll be tempted to toss it. Hang in there.
Alternate adding the flour mixture and the sour cream mixture in three additions beginning with the flour.
Place the batter into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip.  Pipe 1 1/2 inch rounds of batter onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Space the pies 1 inch apart. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the pies from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes and then transfer the pies to a rack to cool completely.

For the buttercream:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment beat the butter until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.  Add the icing sugar and beat on low speed until the butter and sugar are combined. The mixture will be very thick. Add the Irish Cream and beat until very smooth.

To assemble:
Turn all the pies over and match them up according to sizes.  On one side of a pie spread a nice amount of the Irish Cream Buttercream. I used about 2-3 tablespoons depending on the size of the pie. Don't be stingy now. On top of this add 1 teaspoon of the Irish Whiskey Ganache and then top with a second pie.
Makes approximately 4 1/2 -5 dozen whoopie pies.
They don't hold well so it's best that they are eaten the same day they are made.