Book Bargain and Chocolate Loaf Cake

I scored a terrific book bargain during my trip in Orlando. I bought a copy of Home Baking by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid at the Borders Outlet store near Walt Disney World for $7.99! I was so excited, I spent that evening combing through the book. I have already marked some of the recipes I want to try. What I love about the book is that most of the recipes are ethnic and there are a wide range of recipes from sweets to breads. The photos are also beautiful.

When I got home the next day I was dying to bake. I wanted to bake the Beirut Tahini Swirls (I have an unopened jar of tahini just wait to be used) but did not have enough time that evening. The swirls will have to wait! So, I settled for a chocolate loaf cake instead. This recipe is from Susan at Farmgirl Fare. It is entitled "Chocolate Cake Emergency". Very simple cake to make. I baked the cake in a Pampered Chef Stoneware Loaf pan which I find tends to take a longer baking time than a standard metallic pan. I had to bump up the baking time by 15 minutes. It is a terrific cake, very moist with a nice chocolaty taste that is not too overpowering. I doctored the recipe slightly and added a 1/4 C. of mini chocolate chips.

Campbell's Bacon and Bean Soup

I am off to Orlando tomorrow for a conference and will not be back until Wednesday. Just so David does not starve the next couple of days, I made a pot of "Campbell's" bacon and bean soup. This recipe is from http://www.recipegoldmine.com/. Like a lot of my cooking, I modified the recipe slightly. The soup tends to be thick so I used more water than what the recipe calls for and threw in a ham hock as the soup was simmering. The ham hock gives the soup much more flavor, but beware and do not over salt as the ham hock is naturally salty.

Campbell's Bacon and Bean Soup

2 C. navy beans
6 slices of bacon
3 small to medium carrots diced
3 medium celery stalks, diced
1 small onion, diced
1/2 tsp dry thyme
2 to 4 cloves of garlic, minced
4 oz tomato paste
dash of dried red pepper flakes
6 to 8 C . water
1 ham hock
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Soak beans overnight. Rinse and discard the water. Fry the bacon to a crisp, drain and crumble into small pieces. Saute the carrots, celery, and onions with the garlic until soften. Add the red pepper flakes, tomato paste, and beans. Stir well. Add the water and ham hock. Bring to boil then reduce the heat and simmer until the beans are tender, about 3 hours. Add the balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.

Original recipe says to puree 1 to 2 cups of soup and return it to the pot after simmering. I find the soup to be plenty thick so I do not puree any of the soup.

Weekend of Baking

Free at Last! I finished my last final on Tuesday so now I can resume a semi-normal life. I told David, my significant other, that I am going to bake (and cook) up a storm the next couple of months (taking a summer class in July). I have a number of recipes from my cookbooks and recipes that I found on the Internet that I want to make.

My baking this weekend started out on the wrong note. David said he missed dessert the other night so I said I would bake him a cake. I decided to bake the "Wacky Cake" as I have been meaning to try it. The "Wacky Cake" is an eggless cake, leavened with baking soda and distilled vinegar. What a disaster! I baked the cake in my new bundt pan that bought a couple of months ago off of Ebay. I mentioned to David after I took the cake out of the oven that it didn't look like it rose much. I made a chocolate ganche frosting for the cake anyway. Later that evening, we had the cake for dessert. Yuck! It was so incredibly dry. We ate the chocolate ganche and tossed the pieces of cake. David ended up eating ice cream for dessert.

I googled "Wacky Cake" this morning and think I know where I went wrong after browsing different versions of the cake. Too much flour, not enough vinegar, or water. I found a recipe on www.epicurious.com that I am going to try next weekend. In the mean time, I cheated and made a Duncan Hines yellow cake with chocolate frosting. No time to make a cake from scratch this morning.

However, I did make a loaf of peanut butter and jelly bread for breakfast. I made the dough in my bread machine. Threw all the ingredients in my bread maker and went out for my morning run. I shaped the bread after my run, allowed it to rise a second time, and bake it. In between I stretched and took a took shower too! This recipe is from Bread Baking with Father Dominic, a PBS show. I don't think it is around anymore (at least not in the DC area). I printed the recipe for the dough off of his website a few years ago. The website doesn't exist anymore either. I modified the recipe slightly by adding jelly and peanut butter chips.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Bread

3/4 C. luke warm milk
1/4 C. luke warm water (may need a 1 or 2 teaspoons of additional water)
1/3 C. peanut Butter
1 tsp salt
3 C. all-purpose flour 1/3 C. sugar
2 tsp. instant yeast
1/2 C. grape jelly or jam
1/2 C. peanut butter chips

To make the dough:
Bread machine instructions: add the flour, salt, sugar, yeast. Allow to mix for a couple of minutes, add the peanut butter, milk, and water.

By hand: Sprinkle yeast over warm water in a bowl. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes, or until foamy. Stir in the warm milk. Add the sugar, salt, and flour. Stir until you get a soft manageable dough. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead 6 to 8 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Place in a bowl, cover with a clean cloth, and allow to rise for 1 hour.

After the first rising, roll out the dough into a large rectangle, about 18 X 12 inches. Spread the grape jelly on the dough. Sprinkle with peanut butter chips. Roll the dough tightly until you have a jelly roll shape. Pinch the ends to seal the dough, place the dough seam side down in an oiled 9 x 5 inch pan. I usually roll the dough into 3 small rectangles, roll the rectangles, and form a braided loaf. Cover with a clean cloth and allow to rise for 30 minutes in a warm, draft free spot or until double in size. Bake the bread in preheated oven at 350F for 40 minutes.

It is best to allow the loaf to cool before slicing into it.