Its still Chocolate Month

February is National Chocolate Month. Of course, Valentine's Day accounts for much of that, but the entire month of February is for lovers of chocolate. Chocolate has a long history, dating back to early civilizations who believed chocolate to be an aphrodisiac and mood booster. It is still definitely a mood booster!
Besides its sweet history, we also know know that chocolate does have some healthy benefits, in moderation of course! Chocolate contains iron, potassium, fiber and some antioxidants. These antioxidants, flavonoids, may be able to do things like relax blood vessels and promote healthy circulation. Polyphenols, another antioxidant, helps protect the body from free radical damage which can be a protection from cancer. The darker the chocolate, the healthier it is.
I love to bake with chocolate and my family loves to eat those chocolate baked goodies. This recipe combines two of our favorite flavors, chocolate and peanut butter. The preparation of this sheet cake reminds me of the brownie recipe I make often. Keep this cake in the refrigerator to keep it fresher (and to slow down the munchers!).

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER SHEET CAKE

Ingredients for Sheet Cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup (1 stick) butter

½ cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup water

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

½ cup sour cream

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Ingredients for Icing: (I cut the icing recipe in half and thought it was enough)

½ cup (1 stick) butter

¼ cup creamy peanut butter

4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

6 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3 ½ - 4 cups powdered sugar, as needed to reach desired consistency

¼ cup chopped salted peanuts

Directions:

1.     Preheat oven to 350°. Coat a 13”x9” baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.

2.     In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking soda and salt; set aside.

3.     In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the peanut butter over low heat. Stir in the water and cocoa powder and increase heat to medium-low to bring just barely to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and add to the flour mixture, stirring just until moistened.

4.     Add sour cream, lightly beaten eggs, and vanilla, whisking until completely incorporated. Transfer to prepared baking dish. Bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

5.     Prepare icing while cake is baking.

Directions for icing:

1.     Melt butter with peanut butter in a small sauce pan over low heat. Whisk in cocoa powder, milk, and vanilla. Whisk in powdered sugar, a little at a time, until you’ve reached the desired consistency. It should be thick but pourable. Continue whisking vigorously until powdered sugar has dissolved and icing is smooth.

2.     Remove from heat and immediately pour icing over warm cake. Use an offset spatula or butter knife to spread it out evenly over the surface. Sprinkle with chopped pecans.

3.     Allow to set for at least 30 minutes or longer before slicing and serving.

All Dressed Up and No Place to Go!

   Today is National Muffin Day, one of my favorite things to bake. So I was up early baking for today's club meeting, warm smells filling the kitchen, gray skies outside, and looking forward to seeing several friends this afternoon. And then the meeting was cancelled due to weather! This is good and safe, but somewhat disappointing. So I'd like to share my muffins and some muffin facts with you.
     American muffins are similar to cupcakes but made with a stiffer batter than cake batter. Because of that denser crumb, muffins are usually made and served without the papers that cupcakes need to help hold them together. English muffins are confusing because they seem nothing like muffins we make. They are oven-baked, then cooked in a griddle, and often much shorter than American muffins. The Muffin Man was a real guy! He delivered muffins to homes along Drury Land in England.
     I've had a favorite muffin recipe for quite some time (to be a later post),  and have enjoyed those banana-pecan muffins frequently. But this recipe from King Arthur Flour just may be my new favorite! These muffins are very tender and full of berries. The KA people cautioned that if you use frozen blueberries your muffins will probably turn blue, but mine didn't. I think the trick is to coat them with flour, this also keeps them from sinking to the bottom of the batter and makes them more evenly distributed throughout the muffin. I also added the blueberries partially frozen, before they got soft and drippy.

FAVORITE BLUEBERRY MUFFINS                    

I enjoyed another cup of coffee and
a muffin after the call cancelling the meeting! 

Ingredients:

8 tablespoons butter

¾ cup sugar

2 large eggs

2 cups white whole-wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon almond extract

1 ½ - 2 cups (about 1 pint) blueberries, either fresh or frozen

1 tablespoon sugar mixed with ½ teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

Directions:

1.     Preheat the oven to 375° F. Grease 12 muffin cups generously; vegetable oil pan spray works well (be sure to wipe out the extra to avoid ‘frying’ up the sides).

2.     In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until they’re light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

3.     IN a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt

4.     Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, and beat well. (at this point I took out about ½ cup flour/dry ingredients to coat the berries. After the berries are coated – shake in a plastic bag, the extra flour mixture should be added back to the batter mixture.) Stir in the milk, and vanilla and almond extract, mixing only until smooth.

5.     Quickly stir in the berries.

6.     Fill the muffin cups (12) ¾ to almost full, using all the batter. Sprindle with the cinnamon sugar.

7.     Bake the muffins for 25-30 minutes, until they’re light golden brown, remove them from the oven, and place the pan on a rack to cool for 10 minutes.

8.     After 10 minutes, run a knife around the edge of one muffin, and try to lift it out of the pan. (These muffins are very tender, and if they don’t cool long enough, they’ll crumble when you try to remove them form the pan.) If the muffin lifts out of the pan without crumbling, remove all the muffins and cool them completely on a rack. If the muffin sticks or the top peels off, allow them to cool an additional 10 minutes before removing from pan.

Hot soup for a Hygge evening

     There's been a lot of social medial discussion about Hygge this winter. Hygge is a Danish term (pronounced hoo-gah) and a Scandinavian practice to create a cozy atmosphere during the long winter. The Scandinavian origin is to "cherish oneself, to keep or make one's self snug". It is about enjoying simple pleasures of friends, family and graciousness. The Danes are said to be the happiest people in the world, so they must be on to something. 

    Although our winters aren't usually terribly long like theirs, and our temps this year have bounced from 6 degrees to 60 degrees, I thought this sounded like a good idea. What's not to like about soft music, candles, warm decor, popcorn, hot and hardy foods, and warm drinks? 

     So for a recent UMW gathering, that is what we planned. To focus on a conscious appreciation of just being present and to simply enjoy being together. I promised no business meeting, just asked women of our church to come and enjoy an evening together. We dimmed the lights in a classroom, brought in softer seating and an electric flame heater (to mimic an old fashioned warm stove), and the office secretary brought her beautiful vases of Valentine flowers. We enjoyed visiting, a short devotional, and some chair yoga. Warm soups and tasty desserts (as well as some leftover Valentine's Day candy) were the meal. 

I made this Southwest Potato-Corn Chowder as well as the
Toasted Cardamon Nordic Crown bread from NFOB.

SOUTHWEST POTATO-CORN CHOWDER

Ingredients:

4 slices bacon, chopped

1 ½ pounds red potatoes (about 5), peeled, cubed

1 small onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, sliced

1 can (10¾ oz) condensed cream of chicken soup

3 cups milk

8 oz pasteurized process cheese food (like Velveeta)

1 package (10 oz) frozen corn, thawed

¼ tsp. pepper

Directions:

Cook bacon in a large saucepan until crisp, stirring frequently. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 2 Tbsp. drippings in pan. Drain bacon on paper towels.

Add potatoes, onions and celery to drippings; cook and stir 2 minutes.

Stir in soup and milk; bring to a boil. Simmer on low heat 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add remaining ingredients; cook 5 minutes or until process cheese food is completely melted and potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.

Note: I increased the amounts slightly for our gathering, more potatoes and milk. You can thin with additional milk or chicken broth if the chowder gets too thick. You could also add some chopped chicken along with the cheese food, corn and pepper. 

This soup stays warm well in the slow cooker

We enjoyed eating as well as visiting! 

Baking for Valentines and Family Fun

This is SO much better than it looks in this photo! 

February is National Bake for Family Fun Month. Baked goods from the oven just says home and family and security whether it is the aroma of chocolate chip cookies, a hot dinner with the family around the table, or the special feeling of baking with a young family member. 

Preparing food together goes back to the earliest days of human existence; it promotes togetherness and feeds the soul as well as the body. Children not only learn how to prepare food, but learn lessons in reading, following directions, math, chemistry, and family relations and traditions. 

This recipe is from Baking With Friends, a children's cookbook by a couple of my friends, Sharon Davis and Charlene Patton. They are both Family and Consumer Sciences professionals and work with the Home Baking Association. The 31 recipes encourage baking with whole-grains, fruits, and vegetables. 

My granddaughter and I made this Hot Fudge Pudding Cake for dessert and we'll make more of these recipes in the future. This was a good beginning recipe - she enjoyed mixing by hand (no electric mixer needed), adding the ingredients (she helped me measure), and licking the spatula (no eggs, so this was ok this time!).

I hope you enjoy baking and cooking with some Littles in your life. It is a wonderful way to share time together.

HOT FUDGE PUDDING CAKE

Prep time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 45 minutes

Makes: 1 cake/9 servings

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose or whole wheat flour

¾ cup sugar

2 tablespoons baking cocoa          

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped nuts, optional
½ cup milk 
2 tablespoons vegetable oil                                                     

1 cup packed brown sugar

¼ cup baking cocoa 

1 ¾ cups boiling water

Directions:

1.     Preheat oven to 350° F.

2.     Grease 9-inch square baking pan.

3.     Combine flour, sugar, 2 tablespoons baking cocoa, baking powder, and salt in large mixing bowl.

4.     Stir nuts, milk, and vegetable oil into flour mixture. Spread batter into greased baking pan.

5.     Combine brown sugar and ¼ cup baking cocoa in small mixing bowl. Sprinkle brown sugar and cocoa mixture over top of batter.

6.     Place pan on middle oven rack. Pour the boiling water over top of batter and brown sugar mixture. Bake 45 minutes. The cake rises and the chocolate sauce forms on the bottom! Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream and berries.

The best part - licking the spatula (no eggs)

We come from a long line of
kitchen helpers and spatula lickers!