Chai tea at home, check! The next best thing? Licking that can of condensed milk clean! I found the recipe here and tweaked the spices/sugar content to my liking.
Empty condensed milk into a jar with a tight fitting lid. Stir in the spices.
To use: Brew a cup of strong black tea, then add two heaping teaspoons of concentrate or more to taste. Stir well until concentrate has fully melted.
To give: Pour into small jars with lids and tie with an attractive bow, or wrap the jar first. Attach a tag with instructions to keep the mix refrigerated and how to use it.
To keep: Store in refrigerator for up to 6 months.
My baking abilities were challenged when my doc suggested I go from my current 90% gluten free-ness to 100% for the sake of my poor, sluggish little thyroid. Ugh. Don't get me wrong, I make some de-lish GF brownies, but to do it all. the. time? Oh boy.
Luckily for me, I came across a recipe for an all purpose gluten free flour mix that you can sub 1:1 for good ol' wheat flour. A lifesaver! I'm spoiled in that I live 15 minutes from Bob's Red Mill and I can buy all these ingredients and more in their bulk section on the cheap.
1 1/4 C (170 g) brown rice flour
1 1/4 C (205 g) white rice flour
1 C (120 g) tapioca flour
1 C (165 g) sweet rice flour 2 scant tsp. xanthan gum
Anyhoo, my work has implemented monthly themed potlucks. Best idea EVER. I wish it had been mine. January's theme is "cozy comforts," ie - comfort food and comfy clothes. And yes, we get to dress the part as long as we contribute food. Hello, yoga pants and messy hair!
Two of my favorite things? 1) Cookie dough. 2) Cheesecake. Naturally, I've been itching to try cookie dough cheesecake. Even better? It will fall into the above mentioned comfort food category!
PART 1: COOKIE
To circle back around to gluten free, I've tried my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe using the newly discovered GF flour blend. I'm a fan of the Better Homes and Gardens ccc recipe; they call for half shortening and half butter -- I use all butter. None of that fake stuff pour moi.
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (or the gluten free blend, in my case)
1, 12-ounce package (2 cups) semisweet chocolate chips (I use the mini ones)
In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar, granulated sugar, and baking soda. Beat until mixture is combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour. Stir in chocolate chips.
Since I made the cookie part half a week before I needed it, I decided to freeze it. To make life easier on myself, I covered the base of my springform pan with Press'n Seal. I spread some of the cookie dough on top of that (maybe half an inch high), then wrapped it and stashed it in the freezer--this will be the cheesecake crust. Now I'll be able to pop it out of the freezer when I'm ready and it'll be the perfect shape for my pan! Some of the dough I shaped into small balls (like you'd find in cookie dough ice cream), and the rest I made a regular cookie size--the regular sized ones I'll save for a rainy day. Which is every day in Portland. Good thing I have a hearty appetite.
PART 2: CHEESECAKE
3, 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened 1/4 cup sour cream, room temperature 1 cup sugar 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour (or the gluten free blend, in my case) 1 teaspoon vanilla 3 large eggs
Preheat oven to 325° F.
In electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sour cream. Add the sugar, flour, and vanilla and mix until combined. Beat in eggs, one at a time.
Now it's time to turn the cookie dough and cheesecake batter into...tah dah! COOKIE DOUGH CHEESECAKE!
1) Put a tea kettle/pot/water-filled vessel on the stove. You'll need boiling water for a water bath. Double wrap the bottom of a springform pan with alumnium foil, and place it in a larger pan (Roasting pan? Sheet pan? Improvise if you have to.)
2) Get those handy-dandy wrapped cookie crust and mini cookie dough balls out of the freezer.
3) Put the cookie dough crust in a 9-10" springform pan, followed by half the cheesecake batter, then half the mini cookie dough balls. Top this with the remaining cheesecake batter, and the rest of the mini cookie dough balls. This part will be showing so take time to arrange them nicely. Press the mini cookie dough balls into the batter with your finger.
4) Bake in a water bath* at 325°F for 40-50 minutes, or until the cheesecake appears set (it shouldn't jiggle!)
*Water bath tip - assemble cheesecake, then put wrapped springform pan inside roasting pan. Put it in the oven, and then pour the boiling water into the larger roasting pan. I have a tendency to trip, and the last thing I'd want to do is trip with a big, open pan of boiling water in my hands. Once the cheesecake is finished, you can lift the springform right out and let the pan of water cool in the oven before removing it. No burns!
5) Cool on a wire rack. Cover and let chill at least 4 hours, or overnight.
PART 3: FROSTING
1, 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature 1 stick (8T) unsalted butter, room temperature 1 Tablespoon milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ~2 cups powdered sugar, sifted (I don't measure this...I just add it till it looks and tastes good.)
Mini chocolate chips, for decorating
Cream cream cheese and butter in an electric mixer using whisk attachment. Add milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Beat until smooth.
Using a star tip, pipe frosting around the top of the cheesecake. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and enjoy!
This recipe I adapted from a Food Network recipe years ago; it's now my go-to granola. The beauty of granola is you can personalize it based on your preferences (or your pantry!) Granola is very forgiving...if you don't like an ingredient, you can a) leave it out, or b) sub it for something you do like. I tend to throw in extra things, which is how this recipe came to include pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, AND sesame seeds, when the original only contained one. Use your favorite fruit for your dried fruit, such as raisins, cherries, or apricots. I do a combo of dried cranberries and golden raisins and can promise you good things. This last go-round I infused a vanilla bean when heating up the oil and honey...give it a try!
This makes a wonderful breakfast over Greek yogurt and also gifts beautifully.
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2/3 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup unsweetened desiccated coconut
1/3 cup hulled green pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup safflower oil
6 Tablespoons (or 1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons) honey
1 cup mixed dried fruits
(vanilla bean, split)
Preheat oven to 325°F.
In a large bowl stir together oats, almonds, coconut, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, and salt. In a small saucepan heat the oil and honey (and vanilla bean, if using) over low heat, stirring. (Remove vanilla bean.) Pour the oil mixture over oat mixture and stir until combined well.
In a large jelly roll pan spread granola evenly and bake in middle of oven, stirring halfway through baking, until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Cool granola in pan on a rack and stir in dried fruits. Store in airtight container.
Tofu isn't much of a staple in this house anymore. My bod has enough estrogen in it, thankyouverymuch. I figure if I don't cook it at home then I can have it as a treat when Joe and I get Thai takeout. Which, let's face it, is pretty dang often. We didn't name our cats Coconut and Curry for nothing!
So, as I said, very little tofu in the house. Until I was leafing through my Joy of Cooking yesterday (trying to figure out how the heck to cook a turnip, but that's another story) and found a recipe for homemade tofu. Homemade tofu! I've been a vegetarian since I was eight and I've never attempted this? I consulted with Joy and Google, and came up with this:
1) Your mold - I gather you could strain your mixture with some cheesecloth and a colander, but you wouldn't have that nice cube shape. There are also tofu molds out there, but I'm assuming you're not reading about a first-timer's tofu making attempt if you own one of those bad boys. I went the JoC route, which suggests using two plastic freezer boxes that nest. AKA whatever Gladware Target has on sale! (I got 3-cup rectangular ones, BPA free). One, you'll fill with water to use as a weight. The other, you'll puncture the bottom and sides. I used a hammer and nail to make holes in the bottom, and then widened them a bit with a screwdriver. I cut slits in the sides, 'cause I was sick of making holes. Wash this before you use it! Nobody wants tofu that tastes like nails. Next, line your punctured plastic box with some cheesecloth and you're ready to get cooking!
2) Ingredients (Apparently freshly made soymilk is the way to go. I'm already making homemade tofu, and I certainly don't have it in me to make the soymilk first. Google says it's doable, but not preferred, to use store bought, so I'm giving it a shot. I'm sure there's an Asian grandmother turning in her grave and for that I apologize.)
4 cups store bought soymilk
40mL apple cider vinegar
3) How to
Boil soymilk.
Remove from heat and gently stir in half the vinegar.
Stir in the remaining vinegar. Curds will start to form right away.
Put your cheesecloth-lined perforated Gladware in your (clean!) sink. Pour the soymilk/vinegar mixture in the container. Pretty soon you'll be left with just the curds. Wrap the cheesecloth over the top and weigh it down with your other plastic container filled with water.
Let it hang out for 20 minutes or so.
Unmold your tofu in a container filled with cold water. Store it refrigerated, in water, and be sure to change that water once a day.
Yay! Tofu! Now I need to consult Moosewood and find something yummy to make for dinner.
