Happy National Chocolate Day!

Today is National Chocolate Day!

I ask you, President Obama, why is this not a day-off-from-work, parades-down-Main-Street, real national holiday?!

I'm serious. If you're reading this, Mr. President, I expect an answer to that question. You know it's a good idea. At least think about it, ok?

Meanwhile, two of America's upstanding citizens and lovers-of-all-things-chocolate will be celebrating National Chocolate Day by stuffing their faces with this:

Yes, I do realize the irony of celebrating America's National Chocolate Day with a big-honkin' sample of the Swiss variety, but can you blame me? This stuff is G-O-O-D good. 70% bittersweet - that's how Katie and I like it. Now, the Music Man? He's a milk chocolate guy, all the way.

What about you?

- Becky

National Ice Cream Day & Mint Chip Ice Cream

I scream, you scream, we all scream for...

...ICE CREAM!

Today is National Ice Cream Day, and it's time to celebrate! I love ice cream. I mean I really, really love ice cream. Really, really, really, really, really, really absitively-posilutely love it. Here are a few examples to prove my point:

Example #1: Our crowded kitchen cabinets contain three types of bowls designed for one purpose only - eating ice cream.

Example #2: Freshman year of college, my favorite Friday night activity was chatting about life's mysteries over a bowl of pistachio Häagen Dazs with the Jesuit priest that lived across the hall. Now, the chats were awesome, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't stick around the dorm some Friday nights just for a taste of that contraband goodness from the Jesuits' well-stocked freezer. Weird, or wonderful? I'd say the latter.

Example #3: When it came time to choose a topic for my valedictorian speech at the end of high school, what did I pick? The lifelong friendships we'd made over the last four years? Nope. The great adventure of life upon which we were about to embark? Nah. Gratitude towards our parents and teachers? Academic and moral excellence?! World peace?!?! Cliché, my dear friends, all too cliché for my tastes. I chose something I could really talk about - ICE CREAM.

I'm serious.

I stood up in front of hundreds of people, not to mention my peers, and talked to them about ice cream.

Now THAT'S serious love, or at least a healthy obsession.

And no, you can't read the speech, because it's long been lost in the deep dark depths of hard drive disaster. Believe me - I've looked. What was my 18-year old mind thinking?!

Today, my love for ice cream is as strong as ever (hence the last two blog posts here and here). While my thighs keep reminding me I'd be better off spending Friday nights with a lower calorie friend, I still turn to ice cream when I feel lonely, nostalgic for simpler times, or spectacularly happy. For me, it's the best shoulder to cry on, the ultimate indulgence, and the greatest form of culinary celebration.

My favorite flavor? Mint Chocolate Chip, hands down. Always has been, always will be. Who's with me?

David Lebowitz's recipe uses mint leaves, not extract, to give this classic its intensely fresh flavor and barely-there green hue. I'm a big fan of the florescent ice cream shop stuff (ah, good ol' Baskin Robbins), but this all-natural taste and look could grow on me. My taste buds can be slow learners, though - I might have to eat a whole bunch of it to find out. Darn.

-Becky

Mint Chip Ice Cream
Adapted from David Lebowitz's The Perfect Scoop, via his website
Makes about 1 quart (1l)

1 cup (250 ml) whole milk
3/4 cup (150 g) sugar
2 cups (500 ml) heavy cream
pinch of salt
2 cups packed (80 gr) fresh mint leaves
5 large egg yolks
5 ounces (140 gr) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

1. Gently rinse mint leaves and pat dry with a clean tea towel.

2. In a medium saucepan, warm the milk, sugar, 1 cup heavy cream, salt, and mint over medium heat.

3. When the mixture begins to steam, remove from heat, cover, and let stand for an hour to infuse the mint flavor.

4. Set a large strainer (or colander) over a large bowl. Pour the mixture through the strainer, then firmly press down on mint with a spatula to extract as much mint flavor and color as possible. (You can also use your hands to do this, making sure the mint isn't too hot to safely handle.) Once the flavor is squeezed out, discard the mint. Transfer the mixture back into the saucepan. Rinse your large bowl and strainer if you don't have any more on hand.

5. Pour the remaining 1 cup heavy cream into a large bowl and set a strainer (not a colander) over the top. In a separate large bowl, prepare an ice bath.

6. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, then reheat the infused milk mixture over medium heat until warm to the touch. Slowly pour about a cup of the warm milk mixture into the yolks, whisking constantly (this tempers the egg yolks so they don't curdle). Scrape the warmed yolks into the saucepan.

7. Cook the custard, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. If using an instant read thermometer, it should read around 170ºF (77ºC).

8. Immediately strain the custard into the cream, then stir the mixture over the ice bath until cool. Cover and thoroughly chill, preferably overnight.

9. When ready to churn the ice cream, place a storage container in the freezer. Pour mixture into ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions.

10. While the ice cream is churning, melt the chocolate in a small bowl over a pot of simmering water, or in a microwave in 20 second intervals, stirring until smooth.

11. When the ice cream in the machine is ready, scribble some of the chocolate into the container, then add a layer of the just-churned ice cream to the container. Scribble melted chocolate over the top of the ice cream, then quickly stir it in, breaking up the chocolate into irregular pieces. Continue layering the ice cream, scribbling more chocolate and stirring as you go. When finished, cover and freeze until firm (about 3 hours, or overnight).

Note: Using an exact quantity of mint leaves isn't imperative for this recipe, nor is the type of mint used. I ended up buying three small bunches of mint from two different markets, each with a slightly different color and scent. I pulled the best leaves from each bunch to measure approximately two packed cups (though I've never been sure of how packed "packed cups" are supposed to be.)

Happy Chocolate Chip Day!

May 15th is National Chocolate Chip Day!

Celebrate with one of these recipes from my blogging friends:

• Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball from the always fabulous Kate Jackson at Framed
• Congo Bars or Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie from the always festive Bakarella
• Mini Orange Essence Chocolate Chip Scones from soon-to-be-married Baked Perfection
• and so the white chocolate chips don't feel left out:
• White Chocolate Cranberry Fudge from the always decadent Lick the Bowl Good

Or don't use a recipe at all.  This is my favorite way to eat chocolate chips:

And even simpler, here's Beck's favorite method:

Straight from the bag, baby!

What's your favorite way to eat chocolate chips?

-K&B

ps - Happy Birthday, Kirst! (this really should be National M&M Day, right?)

Happy Butterscotch Brownie Day!

I hope everyone has recovered from National Zucchini Bread Day, because we've got another holiday to celebrate: National Butterscotch Brownie Day!

Now, I know what some of you are thinking: If it's National Butterscotch Brownie Day, how come there's a Butterscotch Blondie right there?
 

Others of you are suddenly wondering what the difference between a brownie and a blondie is, because before this moment, you've never even thought about it.
 

And then there's probably a few more of you who are like, "Dude.  Who cares what the difference is?  Just get on with this post before I drool all over my keyboard."

Well, to the first group, I say that when you Google "butterscotch brownie recipe", way more blondie recipes come up than brownie recipes.  And since I've never made blondies before, I figured I'd cheat on the holiday a little.

To the second group of you, don't worry - I hadn't even heard of a blondie until a couple years ago.  That's probably because until recently, if a dessert didn't contain chocolate, it basically didn't exist to me.  And that fact in itself demonstrates the difference between a brownie and a blondie: the dominant flavor of in a brownie comes from cocoa; a blondie gets its flavor from brown sugar.*

To the third group of you: I'll get on the with the post now, but I can't guarantee that you'll stop drooling...because, well, these blondies just cried for some companions -  ice cream, caramel sauce, and marshmallow topping, to be exact:

 

Yeah.  It was divine.

So this recipe is definitely a keeper, for four reasons:
 

1) I had all the ingredients in my cupboard.  No extra trip to the store  = a very happy Katie.
 

2) It makes a small batch (nine large blondies).  When you bake as much as I do, leftover baked goods are common, and they commonly end up around my middle, so sometimes less is more.
 

3) It's not chocolate, which means I eat less, and that my non-chocolate loving friends can enjoy more (Wait.  I have friends who don't like chocolate?!  Where did I meet them?  And what can we possibly have in common?...)
 

4) The batter comes together super fast, which means I can make these on a weeknight and still have time to tackle this:

Yeah.  It was scary.  But by the time the oven timer beeped, the dishes were done, and that, my friends, is a sweet as butterscotch.
 

*for those who might appreciate this: butterscotch's main ingredient is brown sugar.   Therefore, "butterscotch blondies" is actually redundant :-)

Butterscotch Blondies
adapted from Simply Recipes via Jenn's Baking Chamber
Makes 9 large blondies

• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup tightly packed dark brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup butterscotch chips (chopped walnuts and chocolate chips are equally tasty)

1.  Preheat oven to 350°F.   Lightly grease an 8x8 baking dish.


2.  In large bowl, stir together melted butter and sugar with a wooden spoon.

3.  In separate bowl, lightly beat egg and egg yolk, then add eggs and vanilla to butter mixture and stir to combine.


4.  Stir in flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Fold in chips.  

5.  Pour batter into baking dish and spread evenly.  Bake until top is golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes.  Cool in pan on wire rack.  Cut into squares. 

Happy Zucchini Bread Day!

Did you know April 25 is National Zucchini Bread Day?
 

There is really only one proper way to celebrate this most blessed of holidays, so Beck and I tried our hands at zucchini bread.  And when I say "Beck and I," what I really mean is Beck.  The I half was serving 500+ heaping spoonfuls of spanish rice to hungry folks at CHIPS in Brooklyn - an excellent organization you should check out if you have a chance.  Beck has been feeling a bit under the weather so she stayed home.  Spanish rice + boogers isn't appetizing, no matter how hungry you are.

Zucchini Bread Day aside, I've been wanting to try this quick bread for approximately two years and 11 months, ever since I first breathed in the aroma of my boss's daily slice of home baked zucchini bread toasting in her (illegal-per-building-codes) office toaster.

Two years and 11 months later, my boss no longer eats zucchini bread on a daily basis.  Then again, maybe she does...I hardly ever make it into the office early enough to catch her in her illegal toasting anymore, so I suppose I'm out of touch with her breakfast habits. But whether or not she still enjoys it, the national holiday was the extra motivation I needed to move this recipe from my "to try" recipe pile to the "been there done that" pile.

Beck did a great job with this bread (and the photos!), even though the bread didn't rise as much as we would have liked.  This is a family recipe for pumpkin bread, with zucchini substituted for the pumpkin.


Mama B's Pumpkin Zucchini Bread
adapted from Betty Crocker circa mid 1960's, we think
Makes two loaves, or 24ish muffins, or lots o' mini muffins (probably 48+)

2/3 c shortening
2 2/3 c granulated sugar
4 eggs
3 c shredded zucchini (about 3 medium)
2/3 c water
3 1/2 c all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
2/3 c coarsely chopped nuts (we used walnuts)
2/3 c raisins (we subbed currants this time)

1.  Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease bottoms only of two loaf pans or spray muffin pans (or line with paper liners).

2.  In large bowl, mix shortening and sugar.  Add eggs, water, and zucchini.

3.  Blend in flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and cloves.  Stir in raisins and nuts.

4.  Pour into pans.  Bake until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 50 minutes.  Cool slightly on rack (about 15-20 minutes).

5.  Loosen sides of loaves from pans; remove from pans to cooling racks.  Cool completely.

6.  To store, wrap in two layers of plastic wrap and refrigerate no longer than 10 days.  Also freezes well.  Defrost loaves in the refrigerator for 24 hours before serving.

Happy Zucchini Bread Day!