Banana Muffins with Coffee

I never tire of a good banana muffin. They are probably my favorite thing to bake; easy and tasty, and such a good way to get rid of browning bananas. It makes me feel economical when mashing up those bananas that would have gotten thrown into the garbage anyways. And this particular recipe calls for a splash of the day’s coffee, and when do I not have just that little bit of old coffee left in the pot from the morning? There’s nothing better than a recipe that uses up what you already have!

Economy aside though, this banana muffin recipe is fantastic. It’s almost better than my beloved banana crunch muffin recipe from Ina Garten, if not a very close second. It is moist and dense, whereas Garten’s muffins are a bit on the lighter side. There’s also just that very subtle darker taste from the tablespoon of coffee that makes the banana flavor stand out. I also liked the method for combining the ingredients in this particular recipe; it makes for a smoother baking experience. As guilty as I feel buying bananas, I may have to buy them more often now just to make these muffins.

Banana Muffins with Coffee

Kimchi Fried Rice

Some of my favorite and most delicious meals have been ones that were impromptu. There’s something about digging through the refrigerator for whatever might still be edible or recreating leftovers rather than pushing a grocery cart down the aisle for ingredients that makes whatever I cook up more satisfying. Maybe it has something to do with knowing I’m not being wasteful with ingredients, time, and money. Or maybe it’s the inspiration of the moment that makes the food taste better.  Or maybe it’s because I’m usually just really hungry — who knows!

Regardless of the reason, there are definitely some ingredients that are handy to have around for these very situations when you’re either too tired or hungry to go shopping or think too much about what you’re going to make. My list of essential ingredients runs long but I can tell you at the top of it are eggs, green onions, and kimchi — all three used to make this kimchi friend rice, or kimchi bokkeumbap.

With a bit more of a kick than regular fried rice, courtesy of the kimchi, this dish really hits the spot on those days when you’re too tired to venture out to the grocery store but still want something delicious. I had all of these ingredients in my refrigerator. I added some porkchops my grandma had cooked for me and after the rice was done I had dinner in about ten minutes. After being slightly fried, the rice develops a chewy texture that helps enhance the salty and spicy flavor of the kimchi and pork. And the fried egg on top? Well, what more do I have to say?

 

Kimchi Fried Rice

 

Whole Wheat Apple Muffins

Fall is more than just a season. It’s colors, flavors, and smells: bright oranges and deep reds; fragrant cinnamon and mulled spices; and the dry smell of leaves and the brisk coolness in the air. The arrival of fall, sometimes steadily as September rolls into October or just suddenly as I go from wearing shorts and sandals one day to sweaters and scarfs the next, brings with it a sense of excitement, almost like a renewal. Maybe because I still relate fall to starting school or perhaps it’s because of the deluge of holidays, but this season brings with it a rush of things to do and prepare for.

And what more than apples before the pumpkins start showing up on stoops to remind us that fall is here? This is a great recipe for after-visiting the apple orchard. My housemates and I went to a farm about three weeks ago while on a retreat in West Virginia and, for some reason, we all picked half a peck of apples each. Between the seven of us, the house was full of apples. We made apple pie, applesauce, and snacked on apples between meals yet there are still bags of apples strewn about the house.

One of my housemates used her apples to make these apple muffins which come from a cookbook that her college community compiles every year from student, staff, and alum contributions of recipes. After trying one of the muffins, I knew I had to make them again and get the recipe. These muffins are light and not overly sweet with just a hint of sugar and cinnamon. The little bits of apple suspended in the dough and the baked-on brown sugar on top makes for a wonderfully autumn-inspired treat.

Whole Wheat Apple Muffins

Pound Cake

When I was younger, I remember going to the convenience store down the street from our house to buy sweets with my grandfather. To this day, there are two things that I always look for when I’m at a gas station or corner store: coconut cream pie and pound cake. Two guilty pleasures that are inextricably reminiscent and nostalgic of my grandfather and my childhood.

My grandfather has the worst sweet tooth; spoonfuls of sugar in his tea and limeade, creamy and rich coconut macaroons that’s little else than sweetened condensed milk, and buttery pound cake are just a few of his favorite things. I can’t say that none of that didn’t rub off a little on me. If my grandfather hadn’t shared his syrupy sweet coconut cream pies or densely sugary pound cakes with me, I wouldn’t have such a great appreciation for all the other sweet treats like cookies, cakes, and other baked goods.

Pound cake is a classic though. I remember my grandfather buying them in those individually sealed cellophane bags; a thick, moist, and oddly pale golden slice of pound cake between the two of us. I just love the simplicity and versatility of a good pound cake. Its sweetness, complemented by strong notes of vanilla, makes it the perfect treat with a handful of fresh berries and whipped cream, or just plain by itself. While this recipe doesn’t quite cut it in terms of a moist cake or buttery and vanilla sweetness, it’s still a little slice of childhood for me.

Pound Cake

Biscotti

I woke up this morning to grey skies and glossy sidewalks; it was one of those days when getting out of bed took a good fifteen minutes and so plans to go to a festival were easily thwarted. It seems there’s always a festival of some sort going on in D.C. every weekend anyways.  A book festival, a neighborhood festival, a cultural festival, a wine tasting, an art show, you name it, there’s probably a street blocked off somewhere in the District with people selling meat on a stick and giving away gaudy tote bags.

I had planned on making biscotti the night before, but with the dreary weather quickly filtering through my bedroom window, the thought of cookie that is made to go with a hot cup of coffee was becoming more and more perfect for the type of day it was. There’s just something comforting about cradling a cup of dark coffee in one hand while dipping the toasted cookie into it with the other. The way the coffee makes the biscotti fall apart in your mouth makes the grey weather a little bit warmer and bearable.

Biscotti

Bruschetta

Tomatoes, the unsung fruit! With its ubiquitous use in pasta and sauces, it’s easy to see how serving this delicious fruit as is can be overlooked, how sweet and quintessentially summer-tasting and refreshing it can be just off the vine — or your countertop. I recently made a huge batch of tomato sauce for a group dinner, pureeing and simmering nearly fifteen pounds of fresh tomatoes into an aromatic blend of the familiar Italian flavors: basil, oregano, and, of course, tomatoes.

I had a few tomatoes remaining and thought I’d chop them up and toss them on top of some bread to accompany our Italian-inspired dinner. Needless to say, it was a meal rich with vitamin C and A, flavors, and great company. There is a fantastic simplicity to Italian cuisine; an innate rustic kind of love in the fresh ingredients and care of preparation that makes the food taste that much better. The recipe speaks for itself: just a handful of ingredients, yet a mouthful of flavor.

Bruschetta

Madeleines

For as long as I’ve wanted to make madeleines, I just couldn’t bear, at this point in my life, to spend money on bakeware that I could only use to make one thing. So, I was thrilled to find a rather derelict madeleine pan, though a pan nonetheless, tucked away in a forgotten corner of the kitchen in the house I’ve moved into for the year. It must be fate, or something like it, that I would make these so, with my first free weekend available, I warmed up the oven for its inaugural blog-related use and got out the zester for this recipe.

There’s something to be said about subtle flavors, especially that of citrus and how it can liven and brighten up anything from seafood to soups to cakes and cookies. After chocolate (and oats!), lemons, limes and oranges are my favorite ingredients to find in a recipe.

These cookies are a classic and would warrant enough reason for me to go out and buy a pan just to make them! They are so easy to make, the hardest part being the wait for them to chill in the refrigerator before baking. They come out light and spongey, a perfect seashell mound of lemony cake. Their fluted appearance lends itself to the delicate texture of the cakes but the citrus flavor with a hint of vanilla makes for a decidedly distinct cookie. I’ll spare you the Proustian digressions — just try them out for yourself!

Madeleines

Curried Chicken Salad

Curry is one of my favorite spices. I grew up eating my grandma’s curry recipe made with a whole chicken, bones and all, creamy potatoes, carrots, and peas. I remember seeing the dark bay leaves peeking through the golden curry sauce as a child and thinking they were sticks or something, having no place in grandma’s delicious curry. We always ate our curry with fresh baguettes, dipping the crunchy crust into the sauce while at the same time using it to spoon mouthfuls of colorful vegetables and tender meat.

It wasn’t until college that I really had curry any other way; at an Indian restaurant where I had vindaloo, from a roux for Japanese curry, and as a salad at a local coffee shop near campus. While my grandma’s soupy curry will always be the exemplar of what curry is to me, curried chicken salad is also another great way to enjoy that wonderful spice, especially in the hotter months of the year.

The curry and raisins are sweet and refreshing on the cool and creamy chicken salad. A mixed herb salad with an extra spread of mayonnaise on some hearty whole wheat slices of bread rounds out this perfect lunchtime sandwich with texture, flavor, and color.

Curry Chicken Salad

Strawberry Cupcakes

These cupcakes were the highlight of a rather bleak last semester for me. A classmate of mine baked them for the class on the last day of class, and also brought in candles for the seniors who were graduating. We dimmed the lights and had a moment before digging into these delicious cupcakes, the room otherwise silent except for the occasional declaration of how good these cupcakes were by each person in the room.

The cupcakes were a hit, both in your mouth and on the eyes. My classmate had baked them as jumbo cupcakes and her frosting was tinged light pink and piped on in a beautiful swirl. On top, she perched two thin slices of strawberries that rested delicately on the whipped frosting, like the wings of a gently resting butterfly. I am probably going a little over the top with the description (it was a writing class!) but they really were some of the prettiest cupcakes I have ever seen. Even before I had a bite, I knew I wanted the recipe, which she so kindly gave to me.

And these cupcakes are certainly as delicious as they look. I normally hate frosting and find it to be sickeningly sweet but this whipped frosting that goes on top of the cupcake is light and actually refreshing. The cupcake itself is moist and fluffy, with flecks of strawberries suspended in a classic yellow cake. I had never made cupcakes before and can understand now why boxed cupcake mixes are so popular but the extra effort is definitely worth it for the homemade taste, especially since I baked these for my friend Margaret’s birthday.

Strawberry Cupcakes

ANZAC Biscuits

The best way to describe this cookie would be to imagine what would happen if you accidentally added some oats to a molasses cookie dough. That would be the best and simplest way to describe these cookies, but it doesn’t do them the delicious justice they deserve. For one, it doesn’t account for the sweet coconut flakes that add a delicate sweetness to the cookie.

But, most importantly, these cookies call for golden syrup — not molasses. However, I would say that the flavors are similar enough that most people would not care to discern the difference. Molasses has a slightly darker and more bitter flavor when compared to golden syrup, which can be used as a substitute for honey (though it looks more like former than the latter). Golden syrup is also used more widely around the world and readily available in Europe, Australia, and South Africa, among other places. It’s also available in the U.S. though, so fear not, just look for the King Brand golden syrup.

I got this recipe from my friend Darcy, who got it from her host family when she studied abroad in Australia. I remember when she mentioned she had a recipe for a cookie that has coconut flakes, oats, and this strange thing called golden syrup. Reading over the ingredients and terse directions scrawled onto a half-sheet of paper, I was intrigued. After several months of planning between our busy schedules, we finally got a chance to make these for the first time a few weeks ago and we are definitely glad we did.

Without a doubt, the texture is the way this cookie crumbles. It is perfectly crunchy on the outside while the inside is chewy for days, in more ways than one; offering a hearty mouthful with the oats and coconut flakes and keeping that chewiness long after it’s out of the oven. All of this is complemented nicely by the dark, molasses flavor of the golden syrup and subtle sweetness from the coconut.

ANZAC Biscuits