pão e queijo

Restaurant inspiration (Creamy roasted mushroom soup)

When Gustavo graduated, he decided he wanted to have his graduation dinner at the graduation buffet at the Marriott Hotel where he graduated.  HIs aunts, grandma, mom, sister, and I all were dressed to impress and super proud of Gustavo.  We were sat at a big, round white table in a dimly lit banquet room.  The eight of us were seated awkwardly with another couple. 

Obviously I didn't try the meat or fish, but of all the food (there wasn't a great selection), the only thing I really enjoyed (besides the dessert, of course!) was a cream of mushroom soup.  For my graduation, I didn't want to have the Marriott's graduation buffet, and that's why we went to Bacchus.  If you remember, Gustavo ordered a delicious cream of mushroom soup that had truffle oil in it (FOUND at the grocery store!  I can't wait to find a special recipe to buy it for!).  He shared some with me and it was to die for. 

It's hard trying to replicate meals that you've eaten in restaurants because you don't know what special ingredients they used.  This one turned out a little thinner than I would have liked (so I upped the mushroom quantity and lowered the stock quantity for the recipe I'm posting), but the flavor was superb.  Try it and see for yourself!


Creamy roasted mushroom soup
Inspired by a recipe from Bon Appétit
Makes 3 to 4 servings

Ingredients
½ lb portobello mushrooms, stemmed, dark gills removed, caps cut into ¾-inch pieces
½ lb shiitake or cremini (baby bella) mushrooms, stemmed, caps cut into ¾-inch pieces
3 TBSP olive oil
22-oz vegetable broth (homemade or purchased organic)
1 TBSP butter
⅓ cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 TBSP of your favorite red or white cooking wine
1 ½ TBSP all-purpose flour
⅓ cup heavy whipping cream
Small pinch of thyme
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400F.  Line one large cookie sheet with foil.  Place chopped mushrooms on the baking sheet; sprinkle with olive oil and generous salt and pepper.  Toss to coat.  Cover mushrooms with foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Uncover and continue baking until the mushrooms are tender, about 15 minutes more.

Melt butter in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat.  Add onion and garlic; sauté a few minutes until tender.  Add wine and simmer until almost all of the liquid has evaporated (about 2 minutes). Add flour and stir for a minute or so, until incorporated.  Add the broth, roasted mushrooms, and thyme.  Simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.  Transfer to blender and puree until all mushroom pieces have disappeared completely (be careful when blending hot liquids).  Pour back into saucepan on the stove; stir in cream and salt and pepper to taste (tip: if you have a nice amount of salt in there (not overboard!), it brings out a depth in the mushrooms). 

 

Quickie+yummy recipe (5 minute Choco+pb granola bites)

 

Hi there and happy Friday/ weekend!  This is going to be a quick post because I'm tired, and have had a long day a) Baking pb + granola bites for breakfast (I know, it's a *little* weird); b) Taking pictures of pb + granola bites; c) Going to class (probably the most tiring part); d) Eating brick oven pizza for lunch (it's a hard life); e) Cleaning my house; f) Making cream of mushroom soup and eating it; and g) Using the internet and figuring out flights-home stuff with my mom (DONE!)

So yeah, about these "bites."  They are real cuties.  And only use 4 ingredients.  And take 5 minutes to put together (plus a little longer for baking).  They're perfect for lunch boxes, random snacking, and for "the shakes" (my mom and sister have low blood sugar… I think I keep mine up pretty much all the time by all the sweets I eat ;). 

So… you have 3 options for the granola: 1) Use my homemade honey-macadamia granola; 2) Use purchased granola; or 3) Follow Jessica's original recipe for the granola bites.


5 minute Choco+pb granola bites
Adapted from How Sweet It Is blog
Makes 24 bites

Ingredients
2 cups of granola (see above note)
⅓ cup chocolate chips (chopped slightly or whole)
Scant ½ cup creamy peanut butter
Scant ¼ cup honey

Preheat the oven to 325F.  Spray a mini-muffin tin with non-stick spray.

Combine the granola with the chocolate chips.  Add the peanut butter, working in to coat the granola using two spoons.  Add honey and coat thoroughly.  If needed, mix with your hands to disperse the ingredients evenly. 

Use an ice cream scoop (or small spoons) to scoop balls of the PB mixture into the tins, filling between ¾ full and completely full.  You want to make sure the mixture is sticking together well. 

Bake for 25 minutes, checking every 10 minutes to make sure granola is not burning.  (After 10 minutes I lowered the heat to 300F, you might want to bake them at 300F the whole time).  Remove from oven and cool completely so that the granola bites harden up.  When completely cool, twist gently or lift out of the tin with a spoon. 

 

I have to put on a bathing suit in less than 2 weeks (Leek and goat cheese tart)

We're taking a family vacation (Gustavo's family) with 10 people.  To the beach for my suegra's birthday.  It's so exciting!  You must think because I live in a tropical country I go to the beach a lot.  Um, not exactly.  This year I have been twice: when my mom and grandma came (it was amazing), and then a couple of months ago just for the day.  I know, it's crazy, seeing as I live like an hour and a half from the beach. 

So you say, why am I making delicious fattening food like a butter-bathed leek and goat cheese tart with an all-butter crust when I have to fit into that two-piece?  Let's be honest here… I have a hard time adhering to "diets" and you all know what I think about them anyways.  So let's just enjoy life, one tart at a time!

Leek and goat cheese tart
Adapted from Molly Wizenberg via Bon Appétit

Ingredients
    For crust:
2-4 TBSP ice water
¾ tsp apple cider vinegar
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¾ tsp salt
1 stick plus 1 TBSP unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pats
    For filling:
½ cup whole milk
½ cup heavy whipping cream
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
¼ tsp salt
½ cup crumbled goat cheese (crumble it in the food processor if needed- I used a bit more)
1 ½ cups leek confit:
    Leek confit:
½ stick unsalted butter
4 very large leeks (white and pale green parts only), halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into ¼-inch rounds (see note)
2 TBSP water
½ tsp salt

To make the crust: Combine ice water and cider vinegar in a small bowl.  (The original recipe indicates 4 TBSP water; however, after using about 2, my dough was wet enough and holding together.  Use your best judgement depending on the climate you live in).  Blend flour and salt in your food processor.  Add butter and cut in using on-off turns until the mixture looks like coarse meal or sand.  With the processor on, slowly add water-vinegar mixture and process until just until moist clumps form.  The goal is for the dough to be moist enough to hold together, but not wet. 

Gather the dough into a ball and flatten into a disk.  Wrap in plastic and place in the refrigerator at least 2 hours (I did overnight). 

To prebake the crust, preheat the oven to 375F and place rack in the middle of the oven.  Roll out dough on a lightly floured work surface to a 12-inch round.  You may either use a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom, or a 10-inch quiche dish (I used the latter although I have the tart pan, I wanted to try out my new quiche dish!).  However if you decide to use larger of the two, you will need to roll the dough out thinner and must be careful that it doesn't burn.  Press dough into the pan.  Fold in overhang and press to extend dough slightly above the sides of the pan.  (Here I pricked holes in the bottom although the original recipe doesn't require it.  If the dough is warm refrigerate in pan for 15 minutes).  Line pan with foil and pie weights or dry beans or rice.  Bake until dough looks dry and set, about 30 minutes.  Remove foil and weights and bake 20-25 minutes more, until pale golden (keep an eye on it so it doesn't bake darker than golden).  Remove from oven and cool slightly while preparing filling.  Do not turn off the oven.

To make the leek confit (I did this a day before, you may make it and refrigerate it up to a week ahead of time, reheat before using): Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat.  Add leeks; stir to coat.  Stir in water and salt.  Cover pot and reduce heat to low.  Cook until leeks are tender, stirring often, about 25 minutes.  Uncover and cook until the excess water evaporates, about 2 to 3 minutes. 

To make the filling: Whisk together milk, cream, egg, egg yolk, and salt in a mixing bowl.  Sprinkle ¼ cup of goat cheese over bottom of warm crust, top with leek confit, spreading over, and then top with remainder of goat cheese. Pour milk mixture over. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the filling is puffed and slightly golden in spots, and center looks set.  Cool slightly on wire rack before serving. 

A note about the leeks:  I could only find small leeks so I bought 6 thinking it would be enough, not having seen in the original recipe that you need 5 cups of chopped leeks.  I got about 2 cups.  But it worked out well; I think with 5 cups the tart would be too full of leeks. 

Do you believe in dessert first? (Individual apple crisps)

 

Ok let's talk about dessert in an analogical way.  So this morning I had fun.  I made a tart crust and a leek confit in preparation for a yummy dish I'm going to make tomorrow.  (Do I use the word, "yummy" too much?) Then I got all excited and made these adorable and delicious apple crisps that I've had on my mind for a while. 

The thing is, I have to work on a thesis.  A long, tedious thesis.  I'm actually pretty on top of things usually but this semester it's been really hard for me to get it together; the thesis is like a big black cloud full of rain.  And it makes me anxious and therefore avoid the thesis.  I don't want to talk about it anymore.  Anyways, my point is that I almost always have dessert first.  I always do the "fun stuff" like play in the kitchen before doing homework.  Today I literally had dessert first when I ate the fresh-out-of-the-oven-and-smelling-like-it apple crisp before lunch.  I give myself the permission to ;)

Individual apple crisps
Adapted from PARADE, October 2000
Makes 6 individual apple crisps. 

Important note: Next time, I will probably double the crisp ingredients (everything minus the apples and lemon juice)- when the apples cooked, they cooked down and the crisps didn't fill the dish very much (only about half).  I suggest you double the topping.

Ingredients
2 TBSP cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup rolled oats
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ cup chopped walnuts
3 apples, peeled, cored, and cut into a ½-inch dice (I used Gala, you may use a combination of your favorite apples)
1 TBSP fresh lemon (or lime) juice

Preheat oven to 350F.  Butter 6 individual ¾-cup ramekins. 

For topping, combine butter, sugar, flour, oats, and cinnamon in a bowl.  Work together with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Toss in nuts; set aside.

Toss the apples with lemon juice and spoon into the baking dishes.  Sprinkle topping evenly over the apples.  Bake in the center of the oven for 40 hour or until bubbly and the apples are tender.  Let cool slightly. 

So what's the verdict? (Classic apple Tarte Tatin with homemade puff pastry)

 

I decided to make this dessert for two main reasons: I wanted to try out my homemade puff pastry that had been chilling in the fridge for a couple of days, and I also have been dreaming about making tarte tatin ever since I read Molly Wizenberg's A Homemade Life around Christmastime last year, and started having a real interest in France and French cooking. 

Well?  Did the puff pastry work?  Did it puff? Did it taste yummy? Is it better than store-bought?  Is it worth the fuss?

 

Obviously it worked or I wouldn't be writing this post right now, and you wouldn't be reading it.  It puffed a nice amount, although the layers were a little uneven (not in how much they puffed; in their expansion), it wasn't perfect but then again, my mom says, if you want something perfect-looking you can always buy it at the store.  It's more special to do it at home.  The taste was a thousand times better than store-bought.  I would love to say I'm never going to purchase puff pastry again, but the truth is, it was a little more laborious (and sticky!  I hate sticky dough) than I wish it was, even in my simple-as-simple-gets version. 

 

 

Oh, and P.S.- this is now my favorite dessert.  Or at least it's up there on the top 5 or 10.  It's like a slice of heaven with caramelized apples that are so sweet and juicy on a just-right flaky crust.  The apples make their own caramel-apple jam in the pan that is so delicious. 

 

Classic apple Tarte Tatin with homemade puff pastry
Adapted from Gourmet

Ingredients
Thawed puff pastry (1 sheet from 17 ¼ oz package or rolled out and calculated from homemade puff pastry recipe)
½ stick unsalted butter, softened
½ cup sugar
7 apples (A mixture is nice- I used Gala, Granny Smith, and Golden Delicious), peeled, cored, and quartered lengthwise

You will also need a 10-inch or 12-inch cast-iron skillet

Preheat your oven to 425F with the rack in the middle. 

Roll and cut the puff pastry into a circle that is the diameter of the pan on a floured work surface with a floured rolling pin.  Brush off excess flour.  Transfer the puff pastry to a baking sheet and refrigerate while you prepare the apples.

Spread the softened butter on the bottom and sides of skillet.  Pour sugar evenly over the bottom.  Arrange the apples, the outside of the apples facing up, in tightly concentric circles.  Cook the apples over moderately high heat, undisturbed, until the juices are deep golden and bubbling.  The original recipe indicates 18-25 minutes; mine were ready in 12 (and smelling like the caramel wanted to burn- oh no!)

Place the skillet with apples over a piece of foil in the preheated oven (to catch drips) and bake for 20 minutes.  This is so that the apples settle.  Remove from oven and lay the puff pastry round on top of apples. 

Bake tarte until the puff pastry is a rich golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool for at least 10 minutes and maximum 30 minutes.

Just before serving, invert a platter (preferably with a  lip) over skillet.  Use potholders to hold the skillet and plate tightly together.  Invert tart onto platter.  Replace apples that might stick to the skillet.  Brush any excess caramel from the skillet over the apples and serve immediately.

 

Warning: avoid cooking late at night (Potato-spinach gnocchi with Gorgonzola sauce)

 

This is one of the most frustrating dishes I have made in a long time.  I think the recipe is fine; I just made it late at night and followed the directions terribly.  The first problem was with the potatoes- I don't think I baked them long enough.  Then, all excited about using my hand-held potato ricer (that I bought more than a year ago) for the first time, I totally did it wrong.  I'm not going to get into details because I'm still sensitive and frustrated! Then there was a problem with the spinach; I didn't incorporate it into the mixture when I was supposed to, etc. etc.  By the time I was finished, at almost midnight, I was pooped.  I put them on a cookie sheet to freeze, just to find out that it would only fit if I reacomodated everything in my freezer.  I left them on there all night, without covering them or putting them in a baggy, and decided I was to frustrated to even think about them for a few more days.  Today my anger towards the gnocchi had worn off slightly, and I took them out of the freezer (now stored in baggies), ready to give them a whirl.  The fact that I'm posting this recipe means, although I don't like to admit it, that it was worth it.  The sharp-tangy taste of the Gorgonzola sauce makes the dish complete. 

Homemade potato-spinach gnocchi with gorgonzola sauce
Adapted from The Complete Italian Vegetarian Cookbook- Jack Bishop

Ingredients
2 lbs russet or baking potatoes, scrubbed
10 oz spinach
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (plus more as needed)
Salt

Preheat oven to 400F.  Bake potatoes on a cookie sheet until a knife slides easily through them (about 50 minutes, depending on size).

Hold the hot potatoes with an oven mitt and peel using a vegetable peeler and your fingers.  Place peeled potatoes in a ricer, and rice them into a large bowl.  Cool riced potatoes at least 20 minutes.

Steam the spinach (in batches, if needed) using a steamer over boiling water until wilted.  Drain and cool.  Squeeze out all the moisture from the spinach (I find the easiest way to do this is with a clean kitchen towel).  Finely chop the wrung-out spinach.  Squeeze chopped spinach again to wring out all excess water.  Stir it into the cooled potatoes.  Mix together well with your hands. 

Add the flour to the potato-spinach mixture by sprinkling it over the top, along with 1 tsp salt and then using your hands, incorporate the flour and salt into the potato and spinach, working it to become a soft, smooth dough.  If the dough is sticky, add more flour (I used ½ cup more although the recipe suggests not using more than ¼ cup, I usually use more because I live in a humid climate).  Do not overwork or knead the dough.

Break off a piece of dough and roll it out into a rope about ¾-inch thick.  If it doesn't hold together, work in more flour as needed.  Slice the dough into ¾-inch lengths.  Make an indentation on each one by pressing the tines of the fork into one side of each gnocchi.  Repeat until all the dough has been used up. 

(Here you can freeze the gnocchi by placing them on a baking sheet, freezing for one hour, and then placing the semi-frozen gnocchi in freezer bags to keep for one month).

To cook the gnocchi, bring a large pot of water to a boil (not a roaring boil; it will be hard to tell if the gnocchi have floated to the top).  Add salt to taste.  Add about one half of the gnocchi and cook until they float to the surface, 2-3 minutes (be careful to not overcook).  If the gnocchi has been frozen, there is no need to thaw it before cooking.  Cook in the same manner just a minute or two longer. 

Transfer gnocchi to a strainer or bowl using a slotted spoon to scoop them out of the pot. 

Gorgonzola sauce
 
Ingredients
4 oz mild Gorgonzola cheese (⅔ cup crumbled)
¼ cup milk
2 TBSP unsalted butter

Place the above ingredients in a  small heavy saucepan.  Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring frequently so that the butter and cheese melt.  The cheese will melt and not be so lumpy.  When the sauce is creamy and thick, turn off heat and cover to keep warm until you will use it.  Gently toss the sauce with the gnocchi when ready to serve. 

 

Challenge: puff pastry made simple(r)

 

So, I'm going to cut to the chase here.  I learned how to make puff pastry in my pastry class on Wednesdays, but as you know the class is mainly demonstrative  and I didn't get to do it myself.  Being the kinesthetic learner that I am, I finally got around to making the puff pastry, and woke up one morning with a huge urge to do so.  The pics here might not be the prettiest, but hey, the point is to illustrate how to make puff pastry, which can be a daunting task.  Let's get started! 

Puff Pastry

Makes 3 1/2 lbs

Ingredients
750 grams all-purpose flour (6 ¼ cups- measure by weight if you can)
4 bars of margarine (1 bar cold, 3 bars room temperature) (see note)
Ice water, as needed (1.5 cups)

1. Make the dough:

Mix cold margarine with hands into the flour until small pea sized balls are left and the mixture is like "sand." 

Little by little, add small amounts of ice water until you form a smooth, manageable and even dough.  There should be no loose flour.  Do not knead; pat gently to incorporate flour and not develop gluten.

 

2. The five turns:

On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough into a rectangle as large as you can without making it too thin or stretch too much (should be about ½-inch thick or slightly less). 

For each turn, you must have the dough originally in a rolled-out rectangle shape, the long side of the rectangle facing you.  Visualize (depending on the type of turn) the 3 or 4 sections of the dough). 

First turn- business letter fold: Visually imagine 3 sections of the dough from left to right (always of the long side).  Spread 1 stick room temperature butter on the two right sections, but not on the one left section that you have visualized.  That means, ⅔ of the dough will be covered in butter.  Then proceed to make the business letter fold by folding first the left section over the middle section, and then the right section over the middle section.  You now have a finished business letter fold.

Second turn- book fold: change the direction of the finished business letter fold so that you are once again facing the long side of the dough.  Roll out the dough from the middle, again about 1 cm or ½-inch thick, or until the dough starts shrinking back.  This time, divide the dough into 4 imaginary parts down the long side.  Spread another stick of room temperature butter down the 2 middle imaginary sections of the dough.  Now fold the dough as if it were a book: fold both the far right section and the far left section over the 2 middle sections (far right over near right; far left over near left).  Then fold in half from the center.  Now you have a finished book fold. 

Third turn- business letter fold: Change the direction of the finished book fold so you are once again facing the long side of the dough.  Butter the two right sections, leaving the left section without butter.  Follow the business letter fold instructions from the first turn. 

Refrigerate dough for 15 minutes.

Fourth turn- book fold: Take out of the refrigerator and roll out into a rectangle  as you have been doing, with the long side always facing you.  Butter the two imaginary middle sections and then proceed to follow the instructions for a book fold from the second turn.

Fifth turn- business letter fold: Change the direction of the dough and roll it out into a rectangle with the long side facing you.  Butter the two imaginary right sections, leaving the left section without butter.  Follow the business letter fold instructions from the first turn. 

3. Let the dough rest, refrigerated, 24 hours before using.  The dough will last up to one week in the fridge or months in the freezer. 


Important notes:
- Remember to try not to incorporate more flour into the dough, and always brush extra flour off (this is hard because the dough is a little sticky when rolling out). 
- Don't press down hard when rolling, and NEVER roll over the edges, especially not with pressure; this will ruin the layers. 
- Remember after each turn to flip the dough/ change its direction before rolling it out again for the next turn.

Sarah notes:

- You'll want a big space to make the puff pastry on (I used my kitchen table and a silicone pastry mat)

- Try to roll the dough out into the best rectangle you can

-Try to spread the margarine as even as you can

A note about the margarine:

Anyone who regularly reads my blog has noticed I always use real butter, and believe it's sooooo much better than margarine.  So why did I choose to use margarine here?  A) Butter in this country is 4 times as expensive as margarine (A box of four sticks costs more than $5- there's a monopoly on dairy products); B) Because of this, I didn't want to waste all that butter on the puff pastry if it wasn't going to work.  I wanted to see if it would "work" first; C) Smearing 4 sticks of butter onto dough seemed a bit gluttonous; I used margarine for the slightly "healthier" impact it would have.  However, if you would like to use butter to make the puff pastry, be my guest!  (And please, let me know how it turns out!)

Tomato tagliatelle with tomato-almond pesto

 

I know it's almost November and I'm posting about tomatoes.  Juicy ones.  I've given myself permission to do so because 1) I can get tomatoes fresh all year round here (as well as most vegetables, nah-nah) and 2) I've heard through the grapevine that there are still tomatoes in the markets up North that are looking mighty fine. 

This is a kind of lazy-day recipe.  It's quick to make (30 minutes) and is full of flavor.  Perfect when you have just finished with exams, as I have.  I love the taste of the toasted almonds in this dish; they really pop with the garlic and tomatoes!

Tomato tagliatelle with tomato-almond pesto
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen Blog

Ingredients
½ cup slivered almonds
½ cup loosely packed basil
2 garlic cloves, peeled
Salt
3 ripe plum or Roma tomatoes, quartered
¼ cup grated parmesan
¼ cup olive oil
½ lb tomato tagliatelle (or other tagliatelle, linguine, or wide-ish long pasta)
Freshly ground black pepper

Heat a little olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat (medium if your stove tends to heat a lot and burn).  Toast the almonds for a few minutes until golden and fragrant.  Let cool slightly.  Pulse a few times in your food processor until they are in coarse pieces.  Remove from food processor bowl and set aside.

Put the basil, garlic, and a pinch or two of salt in the food processor and chop (no need to puree here).  Add the almonds back to the food processor, along with the tomatoes, cheese, and olive oil.  Pulse until the tomatoes are in small chunks and some are pureed, but the mixture in general is a little lumpy.  Season with pepper. 

In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the tagliatelle for 6 minutes or however long the package indicates.  Drain, reserving some cooking water.  Use a little pasta cooking water to thin the pesto into a more sauce-like consistency if needed.  Toss the linguine with the pesto and serve hot or warm. 

Chocolate for breakfast (Chocolate chip pancakes)

 

Food doesn't let me sleep.  Yesterday morning I was rudely awakened by a persistent urge to make puff pastry.  I had to make it.  Right then.  (Post coming soon- if it works!)  I tried to close my eyes and fall back asleep, at least an hour more until my alarm would go off.  But thoughts of the different turns and folds didn't allow me to.  Then, last night, I was starving and had no food in the house except cereal and decided to make potato spinach gnocchi, which ended up taking me a few hours because I was too tired and didn't follow the directions right.  This morning, I was awoken yet again more than an hour before my alarm was set, by thoughts of making chocolate chip pancakes. 

Reluctantly I got out of bed, knowing it was no use trying to fall back asleep.  I made the pancakes and proceeded to stuff my still starving self with a ton of them.  Topped with Nutella.

Chocolate chip pancakes
Adapted from Gale Gand's Butter Sugar Flour Eggs via the Food Network
Makes about eleven 5 to 6-inch pancakes, or more smaller ones.

These pancakes are not the fluffiest you might find.  The batter is not too sweet, which makes the chocolate chips really stand out.  They are delicious topped with Nutella.  See note at end about fluffiness. 

See here for perfect pancake tips.

Ingredients
4 TBSP unsalted butter
1 cup of milk, not skim
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 TBSP sugar
4 tsp baking powder
¾ tsp salt
2 eggs
¾ cup chocolate chips, or as much as you like

Combine the butter and milk in a small heavy saucepan and heat until the butter has melted, over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat and let mixture cool slightly.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs with a fork.  Whisk in the milk-butter mixture.  Then whisk in the dry ingredients just until blended.  The batter will be slightly lumpy. 

Heat a griddle, large skillet, or cast-iron skillet (my personal preference- I start heating it before making the batter because my stove is slow) over medium heat.  Grease as needed before adding batter to the pan.  Pour as much batter into the skillet (I like big pancakes) and cook until bubbly on the top and golden brown on the bottom.  Turn only once and cook until golden brown on the second side.  Repeat until the batter has all been used up.  Serve hot.  (Stack cooked pancakes on a plate to retain their heat). 

Note about fluffiness: next time I make this pancake mix, I want to use my electric stand mixer to first beat the eggs and then the remaining ingredients to see if it makes a fluffier pancake.  It's not that they were fluffy-less, but I tend to believe mixers make a better pancake.  Try it and let me know!

Pantry recipe for getting cozy! (Double cinnamon bread pudding)

 

Before yesterday, I had never tried bread pudding.  It sounded kind of gross.  But, on the "let's clean out the fridge" rant, I found more than half a loaf of the cinnamon bread from 8 days ago, that was yummy but I had no idea what to do with it after making some toast. 

Bread pudding is a pretty popular dessert here, which makes sense because it's not overly sweet.  Costa Ricans don't generally like overly sweet desserts.  Actually, they don't generally have sweet tooths (teeth?) like Americans do.  Dessert is optional here, and actually hardly ever a tradition.  Ok folks, raise your hand if you need a sweet thing after each meal?  Even breakfast? 

I know, 8 days is a long time for you northerners to leave food in the fridge and eat it.  But here, it's not.  I remember when I first started cooking I would ask my mom and dad how long dishes last in the fridge.  The answer would generally be "Meat items about a day; vegetable dishes two to three, less if they have cheese."  Guys, I hope this isn't going to kill me (hasn't yet!  But who knows about that bacteria, hope it makes me stronger…) but I sometimes eat dishes I've made up to 8 or 9 days later if they've been in the fridge and don't look or taste funny. 

That's something I love about Costa Rica; they're very waste-less people.  I have never seen anyone leave even a crumb on their plate after a meal.  They always find a way to clean out their fridge, use up leftovers, and be creative.  Maybe that's because people are always arriving unexpectedly at their house with hungry tummies.  Like me.  But then, I need dessert after.  Gustavo is so cute because when I go over to his house, he used to always ask me after the meal if I wanted a cookie.  He already knew the answer. 

Double cinnamon bread pudding
Adapted from Allrecipes.com
Makes one 8-inch square pan

This bread pudding isn't exactly what I expected; it's like a very moist cake.  The top remains pleasantly crunchy while the interior is smooth and custardy.  It's perfect for cold weather, the holidays, and this time of year.  And did I mention that it's the easiest dessert I've EVER made?  Go pantry desserts!  And fridge cleanouts!

Ingredients
6 medium-thick slices of homemade cinnamon bread or purchased homestyle cinnamon or white sandwich bread
2 TBSP unsalted butter, melted
2 cups milk (skim is fine)
4 eggs
¾ cup sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 350F.  Place rack in the center.

Break the bread into smallish pieces and spread evenly in the bottom of a greased 8 x 8-inch baking dish.  Pour the melted butter over the bread and toss slightly to coat. 

In a medium mixing bowl, beat together the milk, eggs, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. 

Pour liquid mixture evenly over the bread.  Using a fork, press down gently on the bread that pops over the surface of the liquid so that all the bread soaks up liquid.  Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes or until puffy and golden.  Serve hot or warm.