Sopapillas ~ Homesick Texan Cookbook Spotlight & Cook-off Series

Posted on September 13, 2011 by Denise

Last Wednesday another big storm rolled in, and as the rain came down it really did seem the perfect setting for rolling out these pillowy pockets of dough. I’ve never had sopapillas, and naturally my girls were excited that I was making a dessert from the new Homesick Texan cookbook. I’ve had so much fun cooking my way through her book!

These were easy to whip up and set aside to rise for an hour, so I’d done that part in the morning. Now all I had left to do was heat 2 inches of oil in a medium saucepan, roll them, cut them and drop them in. Lisa mentioned that they’d puff up upon hitting the hot oil, and though I’ve had plenty of practice working with yeast, I’m always surprised when things go my way. So when they puffed up, I got excited and called the girls over to see. Cool!!

These puffs of fried dough aren’t overly sweet since you’re only using a tablespoon of sugar in the whole recipe, so any sweetness you have will come through in the toppings. We tried the traditional cinnamon sugar and honey which was incredible. I also thought a lime glaze would be perfect, so I mixed up that as well. And the next day with leftovers, I made a traditional white glaze with powdered sugar and milk which made them a bit like glazed doughnut holes. The variations are endless!

If you’re looking for something easy to mix up, roll out and cut out with the kids, this recipe is a winner! The puffing up and quick cooking time will definitely score you points. I recommend eating them hot as they literally melt in your mouth!

Sopapillas ~ Makes about 24 
     slightly adapted from The Homesick Texan Cookbook by Lisa Fain

1 Tbsp or 1 packet of yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp butter, melted
Safflower or coconut oil for frying

For Topping ~
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
Honey, to taste

1. Combine yeast with warm water and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Then mix the flour, sugar and salt. Add in melted butter to the yeast mixture and then slowly stir the liquid into the flour mixture. Mix until well combined. Knead the dough for 2 minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover and let rise for 1 hour or till dough is doubled in size.

2. After dough has risen, punch down and roll out on a floured surface to a 1/4 inch rectangle. Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut into 3 inch squares and then cut each square into two triangles.

3. Heat 2 – 3 inches of oil in a medium saucepan to 350 degrees. Fry two triangles at a time for 1 minute on each side. The dough will puff when it hits the oil. Drain on paper towels then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture. Serve hot with honey.

If you enjoyed this post, won’t you consider sharing it with others? Handy share and “Facebook recommend” buttons are below. It really makes my day when you pass things along! To make sure you don’t miss a post or recipe you can either follow Creative Kitchen on Facebook or subscribe by Email in the sidebar. Thanks for reading….I love having company in the kitchen!

This post is part of The Homesick Texan Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off sponsored by Hyperion and hosted at girlichef

16 Comments

Coming full circle

Posted on September 12, 2011 by Denise

I had the most amazing birthday weekend to kick of a celebratory birthday week! This year the focus is more on quiet intimacy. You have to really start to know yourself and what you want in order to celebrate in a way that is truly meaningful to you. The older I get, the more I realize it’s okay to paint that picture any way you want it, and not what others expect of you. Ask yourself….what do I want to do? How can I mark this milestone in a way that matters to me?

Since I’m heading out Friday night to celebrate another friend’s 40th birthday and celebrate life with her and her closest girlfriends…some who are good friends of mine…I decided this year I’d schedule one on one dates with my friends. Hence the birthday week, or month or really however long it takes to have weave girlfriend time into my life. As much fun as I had last year, it’s kind of fun to think about spreading it out a bit!

Saturday morning I was able to go kayaking with a close friend of mine. Tammy and I spent 3 1/2 hours out on the water. It was my first time going kayaking with a girlfriend….I’d only been with “boys” before (you know my hubby and my brother). And you know I had a great time with each of them, but this time there was no “pace” to keep. We developed our own rhythm, and explored at our own slower pace. We ventured to areas I had not been yet, and the wildlife was incredible….from schools of fish jumping out of the water, to birds diving into the water to catch fish, to pelicans gliding in hover fashion over the water and yes…..

we even saw a manatee!!!

At one point…in our last 45 minutes, we had our kayaks fashioned side by side and were just still, taking it all in and right in front of us by just a couple feet……we saw a snout rise up out of the water to take a breath. It was surreal. He was kind of noisy about it and just as soon as our eyes focused on him, and we emitted a quiet squeal of delight tapping each other to make sure the other one saw, and just like that he was back under water swimming past us.

Oh my…..we were stunned! I can’t explain the feelings of seeing a “sea creature” (another name for a manatee is a sea cow) out and about….you know since we weren’t on a whale watching expedition or a dolphin cruise. You know….we hadn’t paid a big chunk of cash and were out with a huge group of people. And if I hadn’t been sold on kayaking before (and you know I was!), then this just reeled me in….hook, line and sinker. I told Tammy, “kayaking is fishing for girls” cause you and I both know that fishing for boys is not just about the fish…it’s about the quiet morning on the water, the communing with nature, and the male bonding. Don’t forget the male bonding!

Yesterday…September 11th….my 41st birthday, after spending the morning at church with my family, and a quick trip to Costco we came home and I had a relaxing afternoon reading a good book (and napping a bit) after watching a few new 9/11 documentaries with my husband. We weren’t in the mood for “dinner out” so we had something at home and then ventured out alone. We are just on the cusp of starting to take advantage of the fact that our oldest daughter can babysit. It’s still new territory, but it’s awesome and I know opens up a whole new world to us!

We drove over to the beach to take a walk and mark the day as special…set it apart from the others. I hadn’t realized that the sun was quickly setting, and on the drive over I noticed the large full moon hanging in the sky. Oh my….what are the odds? My mom had just retold me my birth story in an email, and I was born on the night of a full moon….so again I say, what are the odds? How few birthdays will actually be on a “full moon” in my lifetime as it had been on the night I was born?

And because of this incredible timing and heading over to the beach alone (which we never do)….we caught the sunset off to one side and the moon rise over the ocean, and I got these beautiful pictures to mark another memorable birthday. Dinners out are over rated…sure I still enjoy them and we don’t do them often, but I’m so glad I’ve started thinking outside the box. So I say….what do YOU want to do for your birthday this year? What will set your birthday apart and make it special for you?

It’s only taken me half my lifetime to realize it’s okay to want to do something special for your special day. It’s okay to want to celebrate life with those special to you. It’s okay to come full circle and make a big deal of your birthday like you did when you were a kid. If my 8 year old spends half the year plotting and planning her special day….why can’t I?

If you enjoyed this post, won’t you consider sharing it with others? Handy share and “Facebook recommend” buttons are below. It really makes my day when you pass things along! To make sure you don’t miss a post or recipe you can either follow Creative Kitchen on Facebook or subscribe by Email in the sidebar. Thanks for reading….I love having company in the kitchen!

10 Comments

Making friends with forty!

Posted on September 9, 2011 by Denise

Last September 11th, I turned 40! I’m not one to get all hung up on ages….really, I’m not. Only one other year hit me hard (my 25th), but 40 loomed over me like this huge, thick, black cloud. Hubby had the fun of hitting it first (just 9 months prior). This 40 thing is going to be “no fun.” So 9 months prior I started mentally preparing myself and talking about it. 6 months prior I began to feel like I wasn’t going down without a fight, and the summer before I started challenging and stretching myself.

By the time September 11th actually rolled around, I was ready for the face-off. And what a welcome surprise….I found out that morning….I had made friends with 40. It was liberating….a huge weight hanging over my head was lifted, and I was free. I’m not exactly sure what transpired over the course of that year, only that I know I’ve always been one for advance preparations. Think that stuck with me from the Girls Scouts motto “be prepared.” And to be quite honest….I was relieved. Battling the inevitable is quite fatiguing.

I woke up that morning excited about all the plans for the day. I had decided a couple weeks prior that any use of a babysitter by my mom would be used for hubby and I to do something out of the ordinary….not just a dinner out. And then proceeded to search my mind as to what I’d like to do…what is something I’ve always wanted to do. So I woke up like a kid on Christmas morning knowing that we were going kayaking for the first time. I was thrilled!! I had been wanting to do this forever.

We live just about 3 miles from the ocean, and have the opportunity to kayak in the intracoastal waterway, and even a small island we’d be able to stop and explore. How cool is that? I did find it interesting that off and on the week prior hubby kept trying to coerce me convince me to go kayaking in the river (with the gators?? I don’t think so!!). I wanted to be able to swim if I got hot, and I’d much rather swim with sharks than gators….not that many sharks (if any) make their way into the intracoastal.

We had an amazing time!! I’ve found a sport that really spoke to my soul on so many levels. The quiet of the morning, being on the water, tuning into nature…it was sheer bliss. Though we were out for probably only 3 hours, I lost all track of time. Surprisingly the rowing was not hard, of course we were tandem and that may have had something to do with it. 🙂

The beauty of the light reflecting on the water, the salty air, the riding of the waves that would come periodically…it was just what I needed. We kayaked in a preserve area where motored boats are not allowed to travel, and I was in heaven. I vowed to do this one more time before the holidays rolled around and the water got too cold. We all know life happened, and that didn’t happen. I vowed to get out there with a girlfriend, or three….and that hasn’t happened yet either. Maybe this will be the summer for that, and you know I was excited to get out there with my brother last month.

By the time we got home I felt sun-kissed and refreshed, and the thrill began to mount for my upcoming birthday night. I know I am ‘blessed beyond measure’ with the friends in my life. A group of friends were taking me out to dinner, and had left it to me to plan my birthday celebration….even down to choice of the restaurant. And I’m sure you know for a foodie what fun that can be.

A couple weeks prior I started researching online, and was reminded that another blessing for me is that my birthday just happens to fall in the month of Flavor Palm Beach. Oh my…life can’t get any better than this. Flavor Palm Beach is a month long foodie’s dream. Participating upscale restaurants agree to fixed price 3 course meals. Lunch is $20 and dinner is $30. The only hard part is deciding which one. I know many foodies take advantage and visit several over the month…but in my season of life (homeschool mom of 3 girls) and with my budget…I get one pick. My friends will attest that some decisions for me are easy (the hard ones?), but others are maddening (the small ones?) Either way…I finally narrowed it down to one…..III Forks Steakhouse.

The other neat thing about Flavor Palm Beach is that the menus are published online ahead of time. I loved that, but at the same time it added to the decision making. I like this main course, but that dessert….oh choices.

Coordinating how we could all ride together was another fun task, but in the end….as things frequently do…it all worked out. My limo minivan arrived…full of super good friends, and whisked me away to dinner. And being a person who even appreciates the small things…I enjoyed the drive there, laughing, talking, connecting….something all women need. I tend to lean toward one-on-one encounters with friends…intimate talks and quality time. 

But during my 40th year, I’m realizing there is still a 13 year old girl in there that relishes “slumber parties and girl talk.” Who knew? Something about that night made me feel like I was 13 again….maybe the fact that we were all there. One night (as busy moms with full family lives), that we were all able to get out at the same time….almost like as kids depending on a ride to the skating rink and friends getting permission to get out of the house.

You know we can do it more often, but life gets in the way….and fun, full and wonderful life….but that just made it even more special, and maybe that was part of the magic of the night. These friends chose to spend it with ME. And it didn’t go unnoticed on my part, hubbies at home in place to watch the kids (in some families up to 4!), another hubby that called ahead and arranged for us to bring our own wine and then supplied the wine, yes…I felt taken care of that night. Pampered…Oh I am blessed indeed!!

After an incredible dinner and a sinful dessert, we piled back into the limo minivan, and headed over to a place on the water….a place that used to be a prime night spot back in it’s hey day (when we were in college), but now allowed the quiet to be able to talk and sit by the water outside. And talk we did…as women do….as girls do…until the clock struck midnight, and the ball ended. Ahh…my love tank was full! Thanks for a memorable and fun evening my friends!!

Check out my new pink ride…..

And my birthday flowers….I love flowers!!

** Special thanks to my friend Tracey for supplying me with the pictures from our evening!

For you guys ~ did you have a birthday that was especially hard for you? How did you turn things around? If you’ve celebrated 40, what was your experience? Good, bad or indifferent? Any special plans for milestone birthdays?

My 40th year and future birthday plans ~ This Sunday I will turn 41! I seem to be indifferent this year, though I still want to make it memorable. I managed to celebrate my whole 40th year by pushing myself out of my comfort zone and doing things I wouldn’t normally do and doing fun & exciting things. This would be a post in and of itself but involved

~ Disney with my friend Donna and her family (and the Epcot Food and Wine Festival)
~ Conquering my fear of Splash Mountain by riding it my oldest daughter
~ Taking the “Read the Bible in 90 days challenge” and finishing it sooner (life-changing experience!!)
~ Attending Food Blog Forum in Orlando and meeting many new foodie friends
~ Taking my 3 girls on a 2 week family vacation (including our family reunion) without hubby (he had to work) which involved a road trip (12 hours each way)
~ Taking a trip with my friend Donna to her family’s beach house in Cape Carteret, North Carolina & exploring beaches of my youth (Emerald Isle, Atlantic Beach)
~ Making peace with my 12 year old daughter being away from home for the first time (her first mission trip & no contact for 5 days!!)
~ Celebrating my mom’s 60th birthday with her
~ Quality time kayaking with my brother
~ Trying out a rock climbing wall
 

and many more!! Some of these I need to do a post on…..too many experiences and too little time to post.

Make sure you get out there and ENJOY life, celebrate in all the ways that matter to you! Me? I’m going to make that slumber party happen one day. Doesn’t matter if you’re 13, 30 or 40…sometimes we just want to be girls, right? Plan and make goals to last your entire year, and you’ll ring in your next birthday with excitement instead of dread!

If you enjoyed this post, won’t you consider sharing it with others? Handy share and “Facebook recommend” buttons are below. It really makes my day when you pass things along! To make sure you don’t miss a post or recipe you can either follow Creative Kitchen on Facebook or subscribe by Email in the sidebar. Thanks for reading….I love having company in the kitchen!

8 Comments

Poblano macaroni and cheese ~ Homesick Texan Cookbook Spotlight & Cook-off Series

Posted on September 8, 2011 by Denise

I have to say I’m having so much fun cooking through this cookbook! I can’t believe how many recipes I want to try. Next up in the Homesick Texan Cookbook Spotlight Series is poblano macaroni and cheese. I’ve never cooked with poblano chiles before, and actually this was my first time “steaming” a chile….a process I’d read about many times, but never attempted.

My girls love mac ‘n cheese, but I have to be honest…I was a bit nervous to see how they’d feel about it when they saw it with flecks of green chiles in it. And since I was worried, I only bought one poblano chile instead of two. It seems my worry was unfounded because my girls not only gobbled this up…they asked for seconds and thirds and even declared it “their favorite mac ‘n cheese!” They weren’t deterred by the cilantro or the hint of lime either. Thank goodness my “foodie-ness” is rubbing off on them 🙂 And my hubby too!

I didn’t have the white cheddar called for, so instead I used a combination of muenster, monterey jack and pepper jack cheeses. I decided to bake the macaroni and cheese in my oven-safe skillet which is not something I usually do, but I thought it’d make for a prettier picture. Of course I removed the skillet with a pot holder, but then proceeded to “grab” the handle in order to adjust it for the picture. Sheesh….thankfully I didn’t do a full on grabbing of the handle and was merely a start to grab and the heat scared me away. That could have been BAD!

Poblano Macaroni and Cheese ~ 8 servings
from The Homesick Texan Cookbook by Lisa Fain

2 poblano chiles
8 ounces elbow pasta (2 cups)
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 tsp mustard powder
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp lime zest
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Salt and black pepper, to taste
4 cups grated white cheddar cheese (12 oz)
1/2 cup Cotija cheese, for serving

1. Roast the poblano chiles under the broiler until blackened, about 5 minutes per side. Place the chiles in a paper sack or plastic food-storage bag, close it tightly, and let the chiles steam for about 20 minutes. Take the chiles out of the bag and rub off the skin. Remove stem and seeds and chop the chiles into 1-inch-long pieces.

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the pasta. Cook according to your package’s directions and then drain the pasta. (You want the pasta to be cooked but not mushy; I cook my pasta for 5 minutes.) *I cooked mine for about 8 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a large baking dish or a large cast-iron skillet, and pour the drained pasta into the dish.

4. In a pot (you can use the pot the pasta cooked in or you can do this while the pasta boils), on low heat melt the butter. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the flour and cook until a light brown, toasty paste is formed, about 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and stir until it’s thickened a bit but still fluid, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the mustard powder, cayenne, cumin, lime zest, cilantro and chopped poblano chiles. Adjust seasonings and add salt and black pepper.

5. Slowly add half of the cheddar cheese and stir until it’s melted and well combined into the sauce. (If the sauce has cooled too much and the cheese won’t melt, return the pot to low heat on the stove. If, however, the sauce gets too thick, like a custard, you can thin it by stirring in milk, a teapoon at a time.) Pour sauce over pasta and top with the remaining half of the cheddar cheese and bake uncovered for 20 minutes or until brown and bubbling. Sprinkle with Cotija cheese, and serve immediately.

Variations ~ Try adding cooked bacon, chorizo, chicken, squash, or corn to the macaroni and cheese before baking. You can also substitute pepper Jack for some of the cheddar if you like. And if you like a crunchy top, add crushed tortilla chips before baking.

Coming up next in the series….Sopapillas! I was surprised at how easy they are!!

If you enjoyed this post, won’t you consider sharing it with others? Handy share and “Facebook recommend” buttons are below. It really makes my day when you pass things along! To make sure you don’t miss a post or recipe you can either follow Creative Kitchen on Facebook or subscribe by Email in the sidebar. Thanks for reading….I love having company in the kitchen!

This post is part of The Homesick Texan Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off sponsored by Hyperion and hosted at girlichef

This recipe linked up with Simple Lives Thursday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Fat Tuesday, Totally Tasty Tuesdays, Works for Me Wednesday, Real Food Wednesday & Women Living Well Wednesday.

21 Comments

Peach clafoutis ~ a french dessert highlighting fruit in season

Posted on September 6, 2011 by Denise

I really debated on sharing this right now since I just issued a healthy living challenge….but in the end, this incredible peach clafoutis won out. Several of you following along on Facebook remember when I made it last month and raved about it. Ever since then, I just couldn’t wait to share it with you guys…and it certainly wouldn’t be fair to keep this delicious dessert all to myself. Right?

The good news ~ it’s very low in sugar and flour, and has a nice custardy base to highlight whatever fruit happens to be in season: peaches, plums, pears or the traditional cherries. It’s not overly sweet or rich, and reminds me of a cross between crepe batter and a custard. And yeah….sometimes life just warrants a little somethin’ somethin’.

Unless you’re like me and have no self-control, then I suggest making it for a night you have friends over or bringing it to your mom’s group like I’ll be doing later this week. Do you have a Mops group (Mother’s of Preschoolers)? I sure do love mine….and they have a zip code finder on their website to find a Mops group in your area. You don’t need to have a preschooler to attend…only to be expecting with your first or have a little one ranging all the way up to Kindergarten age. It’s a nice time with other mommies to relax and be pampered for a change….and don’t worry, your kids will be having fun too. Hubby likes to joke with me that we keep having kids in order that I can stay in Mops. Funny….but not true. With 3 lively girls ranging in age from 3 to 12….we’re done!

Despite the fact that hubby and I spent time in Paris (we backpacked across Europe for a month one summer in college), I actually discovered clafoutis online over at Cannelle et Vanille….Aran is an amazing photographer and writer! Very talented, and if you’ve never checked out her site, I highly suggest you do. She’s a pastry chef, originally from Spain who lives in my area. Recently she’s had to take gluten out of her diet, and has been adjusting her recipes accordingly. She’s even working on a new cookbook! I do have a very special recipe of hers that I made and photographed last winter that I’ve been saving for just the right time. This recipe is one I’d been searching high and low for ever since our time in Madrid, and I know you’ll love it as much as I do. It’s a favorite here!

But this particular Julia Child recipe for clafoutis I found over at Cooking with Amy. She’s one of the very first food bloggers, and started her site back in June 2003. I can’t imagine there were many back then…I would bump into them now and again, and loved that people were writing online about food just as you’d find in a cookbook or a magazine. I still remember my first days reading blogs, and I was in awe that people really put themselves out there. Oh, the scary internet! 🙂


Print
Peach clafoutis ~ a french dessert highlighting fruit in season
Author: 
Recipe type: dessert, snack, French
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 6-8
 
This stunning and simple french dessert is easy to make! It's a light dessert that will showcase any fruit in season.
Ingredients
  • 1¼ cup milk
  • ⅓ cup sugar or honey granules
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla
  • ⅛ tsp sea salt
  • ½ cup flour (I used freshly ground whole wheat)
  • 2 peaches, sliced & diced (with skin on)
  • ⅓ cup sugar
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. In blender place milk, eggs, flour, ⅓ cup of sugar, vanilla and salt and blend.
  3. Pour ⅓ to ½ batter into a large buttered tart pan or other baking dish. Bake in oven for 10-15 minutes or until a film of batter sets in the pan.
  4. Remove from oven and add diced peaches, other ⅓ cup sugar sprinkled over and the remaining batter.
  5. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour or until slightly browned and pulling away from edges.
  6. Clafoutis is done if a knife comes out clean.

If you enjoyed this post, won’t you consider sharing it with others? Handy share and “Facebook recommend” buttons are below. It really makes my day when you pass things along! To make sure you don’t miss a post or recipe you can either follow Creative Kitchen on Facebook or subscribe by Email in the sidebar. Thanks for reading….I love having company in the kitchen!

This recipe is linked up to Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, Totally Tasty Tuesday, Real Food Wednesday,  Simple Lives Thursday, Food Trip Friday, Finer Things Friday, Fresh Bites Friday, Works for Me Wednesday, Delightfully Inspiring Thursday, It’s a Keeper Thursday, Full Plate Thursday, My Meatless Mondays, Mouthwatering Monday & Mangia Mondays.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
22 Comments