Coconut Almond Cupcakes

I am a big fan of to-do lists. Before I can really start a busy day, I feel almost compelled to make a list, for fear that if I don’t make it, I will forget to do some vitally obvious thing. Though there are some tasks that manage to travel from list-to-list for months and months (aka: edit Stacey and Ben wedding photos), most of the time putting a task on my list helps me actually get it done. I must admit that I often judge the goodness of my day by the number of things I manage to accomplish. By the same token, I find that it’s easy for me to focus on the things I didn’t get done. Take today, for example. After Sydney and I got home from a vomit-free visit to the dog park (poor thing has terrible anxiety in the car), there just wasn’t time for me to bathe Sydney, get a run in, make birthday cupcakes, and still make it to my parents for dinner on time. “Hmm…Dog needs a bath, no question about that, so cupcakes or run? Cupcakes or run? Cupcakes and run? Cupcakes then run? That's it!” I immediately started hurrying to find a recipe, pull out the ingredients, and preheat the oven. As I was dumping the second half of the sugar into the mixing bowl, I realized that I didn’t want to rush to get it all done. So I slowed down and enjoyed the moment. Turned on the Avett Brothers; gave up on the run. I was even early to the amazing seafood dinner prepared by my parents. There is no doubt that crossing things off my to-do list makes me feel good; however, most of the time it is the intangible, noncheckoffable things that make me feel best.
Today was a good day.

Coconut Almond Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
cake recipe adapted from The Cake Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum

Makes 16 cupcakes

Preheat oven 350º

On a baking sheet, place:
1 cup sweetened coconut
Bake for 5-10 minutes or until coconut is light brown. Remove from oven. Set aside to let cool. You’ll use this to decorate the cupcakes after they’re frosted.

Cake
In a large electric mixing bowl, mix:
1 2/3 cup cake flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Once they’re thoroughly combined, add:
12 tablespoons butter, softened (not melted)
Mix until dry ingredients are moistened. Use spatula to scrape down the sides. Mix at high speed for 1 1/2 minutes to develop cake’s structure. Scrape down the sides again.

In a medium bowl, combine:
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Use a fork to break-up the eggs and combine ingredients.

Add one-third of this mixture to the large bowl. Beat at medium speed for 20 seconds. Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl. Repeat twice more.

Add:
1/3 cup sweetened coconut, minced
Mix until evenly combined, being careful not to over mix.

Line cupcake pan with decorative baking cups. Fill each cupcake holder with a scant 1/4 cup of batter. Place in oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely on rack before icing.

While cupcakes are baking, prepare cream cheese frosting.

Frosting
In a large electric bowl combine:
8 ounces (1 package) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar
Mix for 30 seconds and then scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix again until no lumps remain (this is why it’s important for the butter and cream cheese to be at room temperature).

Frost cupcakes. Sprinkle generously with toasted coconut.

Eat up!

Sweet Sausage + Spinach Lasagna

I've always thought that Garfield's love of lasagna is completely spot on. I don't know that there has ever been a time in my life where someone's proposed lasagna for dinner and I've been unhappy about it. Its like ice cream...there are so many variations that I'm not sure I could get tired of it. When our nephew, Parker, was born, I offered to make Joshua and Liz dinner to supplement the inevitably mediocre meals that come with parenthood, like lukewarm Ramen Noodles and Kraft Macaroni + Cheese. For my first delivery, lasagna was the meal of choice.

But then I went to see "We Bought A Zoo" with my little sister, Alyssa. Not the best movie I've ever seen but at least Scarlet Johansson branched out and chose a role where she was more than a tawdry sex symbol. Turns out, she's a pretty decent actress. Anyway, the movie is about a handsome widower, Benjamin, who uproots his children after his wife's death and decides to buy a zoo. A little rash, if you ask me, but then my hubby is alive. Because words are never adequate, flowers and food always seem to arrive in the wake of death. As Benjamin drops his kids off at school, he is greeted by a mom with a lasagna. And even though it is apparent he does not want it, he takes it home and dutifully places it in his fridge -- with a dozen others. His adorable seven year old daughter cheerfully points out that at some point they're going to have to eat them or maybe throw them away.

Oh no! Sitting in the movie theater, I began to second guess my meal choice. Surely, other people are dropping off food for Joshua and Liz to help out as they navigate parenting. Perhaps they, too, have been inundated with lasagna. What if they're up to their eye balls in tomatoes and ricotta? Since I'd already purchased the ingredients, I let my doubts take a back burner and began.

Thankfully, my fears were abated when I got an unsolicited text from Joshua that simply said: "lasagna=bangin"

Sweet Sausage + Spinach Lasagna
Kelley Gondring

The great thing about making lasagna is that you can make it with store bought products or entirely from scratch, time permitting. This particular recipe is good for a week night, as I make neither the noodles nor the sauce from scratch. However, I do add add a little onion, carrot, basil and oregano to canned pasta sauce to make it taste fresher. If time is really tight, feel free to skip that step.

Preheat oven 400º

Noodles
Fill large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add a dash of salt and a splash of olive oil (the oil will help the noodles from sticking together). Once water is boiling, add:
12 lasagna noodles
Cook about 15 minutes or until al dente. Drain noodles and rinse with cold water. Lay noodles flat on clean kitchen towels. Cover.

Sauce
While pasta is cooking, pour:
2 jars of your favorite pasta sauce
into a large mixing bowl.

Into a small skillet, empty:
1 16 ounce package sweet Italian sausage
Cook on medium-high heat about 10 minutes or until no longer pink. I like to use a potato smasher to break up the sausage into small, even pieces (hat tip, husband!). Transfer cooked sausage into the bowl of tomato sauce.

In the same skillet, heat:
1 tablespoon olive oil
Once oil gets hot, add:
1/2 white onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Saute on low-medium heat about 10 minutes or until the veggies are tender. Transfer to bowl of pasta sauce. Thoroughly combine all ingredients.

Cheese Filling
In a large mixing bowl combine:
16 ounces ricotta cheese
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
4 eggs
3/4 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Thoroughly mix until consistency is smooth.
Measure out 1 1/2 cups of mixture and place in a small bowl. Set this aside for the moment.

In a microwave safe bowl, heat
2 packages frozen spinach
until thawed but not hot. Squeeze out excess water (there will be a lot!) and add drained spinach to the large bowl. Stir in spinach so that it's evenly distributed.

Cheese Topping
Grab the small bowl containing the ricotta mixture and add:
1/4 cup of whole milk
Mix until the milk is fully incorporated.

Putting It Together
Spread 1/2 cup of sauce in the bottom of a 13x9 inch casserole dish. Place four lasagna noodles side by side on top of the sauce. Pour and spread one third of the sauce on top of the noodles. Pour and spread one third of the cheese filling on top of the sauce. Repeat twice. Cover with remaining four lasagna noodles. Pour cheese topping over top and spread evenly.

Bake for 45 minutes.

Eat up!

Peppermint Cheesecake

There are few desserts I enjoy as much as I enjoy cheesecake. Unfortunately, they are not always the easiest of desserts to make. This Christmas, I decided to try my hand at making peppermint cheesecake without chocolate. While I do love chocolate, sometimes I think it dominates all other flavors, so I've come up with this New York style pepperminty goodness for all of our dining pleasures!

As with bagels, in order to get a cheesecake right, you'll need to plan ahead. I'm not saying you need to start three days ahead of time or anything, but for the best results, you should plan to be pulling this cheesecake out of the oven at least 24 hours before you want to serve it, as this intensifies the flavor. The other timing trick is to remove the cream cheese from the fridge several hours before you start making your cheesecake. This assures that it will be very soft and will properly mix with the other ingredients (as opposed to having clumps of cream cheese that won't incorporate with the rest of your batter).

Peppermint Cheesecake
Kelley Gondring

Preheat oven 500º (this is not a typo!)
Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 9 inch springform pan.

To make crust, combine in a medium bowl:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
6 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup sugar
Thoroughly mix so that all ingredients are well incorporated. Pour mixture into the springform pan. Spread crumbs evenly across the bottom, using your fingers to firmly pack. Place in refrigerator.

In an electric mixing bowl, add:
2 eight ounce packages cream cheese, softened
2 eight ounce packages reduced fat cream cheese, softened
Using the paddle attachment, mix at moderate speed for thirty seconds.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl and slowly add:
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons peppermint extract
Mix 1 1/2 minutes so that the ingredients are smooth and creamy. You may be tempted to mix it longer, but resist the urge and set a timer! Over beating the batter will result in it rising too much and then falling when it cools.

One at a time add:

4 large egg yolks
Beat until yolk is incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and repeat.

Using a low speed, mix in:
1/4 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup crushed peppermint candies
until just incorporated.

Pour batter into the spring-form pan over top of the graham cracker crumb crust. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 200º and bake for one hour.


Because a cheesecake is really a custard and not a cake at all, the center will still be jiggly after an hour. This is exactly what you want, so don't think you've done anything wrong. By the time you serve it up, the center will set.

Turn off the oven and use a wooden spoon to hold the oven door ajar. Let the cheesecake sit for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before refrigerating.

Practice patience as you wait 24 hours before serving.

Eat up!

Meatless Mince Pie

Until last year, Mincemeat Pie was a Gondring family tradition that I never embraced. Sweet pie with meat in it...no thank you. I'm pretty sure that my Grandpa Gondring, who is only four years shy of owning the title "Centenarian," has eaten and enjoyed his mincemeat pie on Christmas Eve since he was able to eat solid foods. Last year, my ninety-three year old grandma called to ask me if I would make the pie because she really just didn't have the energy anymore. There was a hesitancy in her voice, so I paused before giving the obvious "yes." Why the hesitancy, I wondered? Mincemeat pie filling comes in an $9 jar, so screwing that up was unlikely. And years ago she'd taught me to make her pie crust, so she knew there was a good chance I'd get that part right. Surely, she didn't think I'd say no? And then I got it. This hesitation wasn't about doubting me; it was about her giving up something she'd done well for more than 60 years. More specifically, I think it was difficult for her to pass on the responsibility of mincemeat pie making because she loved making a pie for the man she loved just because that man loved this pie! [did you get that? ;)] So I felt like I had some big shoes to fill!

I dutifully went to the store and purchased the pie filling; however, when I opened the jar I couldn't bring myself to pour the contents into my pie shell. As my friend, Beth, can attest, I am not a big fan of prepackaged anything (she learned this when she tried to make mashed potatoes from flakes in box and looked up to see the horrified grimace on my face). Instead, I opened up my trusty Joy of Cooking cookbook, turned to the index, found the pie section, and scrolled past "Apple" and "Blueberry" until my finger landed on "Mince." Figuring this must be the same thing, I turned to page 877 and started reading. As it turns out, what my grandparents have probably been eating for the last forty years is mince pie not mincemeat pie (lots of people don't put meat in it anymore). Less scared of the filling now knowing what actually went into it, I began from scratch, using the recipe as a base, adding some of my own touches to it.

Gifts and pie in hand, Jason, Stephen, and I arrived at my grandparents'  house on Christmas Eve. As the family gathered around the table to enjoy another delicious dinner with lively conversation, Grandpa was downright dour. When I asked him if he was okay, sternly asked me if I knew the poem of the wise old owl. I smiled and silently shook my head side-to-side, knowing I would soon be enlightened. The conversation ceased as all eye turned towards Grandpa. He dramatically glanced at his attentive audience and cleared his throat.

"A wise old owl lived in the oak
The more he saw, the less he spoke
The less he spoke, the more he heard
Why can't we all be like that wise old bird?

We all laughed, as this is just par for the course with him. After squeezing his shoulder and tousling his hair, I returned to my seat to finish my meal and he returned to his silence.

Thankfully, post-pie Grandpa was much more pleasant. He demolished the giant helping of pie we served him, his fingers firmly gripped to the plate, as if he was afraid someone might force him to part with his precious pie before he had ingested every crumb. Few compliments to a cook rival a clean plate and a smiling grandpa.

Mince Pie

adapted from The Joy of Cooking

In a large saucepan, combine:
3 large Golden Delicious apples, peeled and diced
1 small Pink Lady apple, peeled and diced
1 ripe Bosc pear, peeled and diced
1 1/2 cups raisins, coarsely chopped
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup apple juice
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
Turn heat on high, stirring constantly so the fruit doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and let cook 35-45 minutes or until sauce is thickened.

Preheat oven to 400º

While the fruit is cooking, prepare two pie crusts.
Place one of the pie crusts in the pie pan. Pour filling inside. Baste the edge of the crust with water. Roll out second crust and lay on top. Cut off the excess dough. Crimp edges together. Set pie aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together:
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon water
This amazing little mix is an egg wash. Using a basting brush, coat the top crust with the wash, being careful not to let it pool in any crevasses. Cut the several air vents in the top crust. Bake for 50 minutes. If crust gets darker than golden brown, cover with aluminum foil.

Eat up!

Roasted Butternut Squash & Red Pepper Soup

This is by far my favorite soup, and that's not just because it is the first soup that I can really put my name on! I developed it over time, taking pieces of several soup recipes and combining them to get this deliciousness (if I do say so myself...which I do)! As my uncle and I discussed over Christmas, it can be difficult to remember what you do when you create a recipe this way, since there is no real plan when you start cooking and there is no transcription of your creation while you're creating it. Nevertheless, after making it several times while being mindful that I wanted to write about it, I finally got it down on paper. Let me know what you think!

Roasted Butternut Squash and Red Bell Pepper Soup

Kelley Gondring

Preheat oven 400º, preferably using the "Roast" setting (if your oven doesn't have this setting, that's okay, it will just take your veggies a little longer to get tender).

Cut in half lengthwise:
1 Butternut Squash
Scrape out the seeds with a spoon. Cut into 6-8 large pieces and place flesh-side down in casserole dish. Fill dish with enough water so that one-third of the squash is submerged. Drizzle the outside skin of the squash with olive oil. Cook 50-60 minutes or until a fork goes smoothly through the skin.

Meanwhile wash and dry:
1 Red Bell Pepper
Drizzle skin of the red bell pepper with olive oil. Place in a separate dish and roast about 20 minutes. Don't be alarmed when the skin chars; you won't use it (ditto for the squash).

After removing the pepper from the oven, place in a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap; this will help the skin of the pepper pull away from the flesh. Let it sit for 5 minutes. Cut the pepper into sections, peel away the skin and remove the seeds. Place flesh back into the bowl.

Once the squash is cooked, remove from the casserole dish and place flesh-side up on plate/cutting board. Let it cool and then use a spoon to scrape the flesh from the skin. Place squash in a bowl with the roasted pepper.



After the squash and pepper are done roasting, combine in a large soup pot:
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
2 carrots, peeled and coarsely diced
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and coarsely diced
1/2 red bell pepper, deseeded and coarsely diced
Over medium heat, sauté chopped veggies about 15 minutes.





Once veggies are tender, add:
4 cloves minced garlic
Cook garlic for 1 minute stirring constantly, being careful not to let it burn.

Add:
6 cups chicken broth
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper*
2 teaspoons sage
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Bring broth to a boil. Add roasted veggies and let soup simmer 20-25 minutes.

*Remember, you can add but you can't take away!

Finally, working in batches, use a blender to puree soup until it has a smooth consistency.

Eat up!