Earl Grey? in Cupcakes?

I have a lot to do this week. Scratch that. A ton to do. So naturally, as soon as I came home from work, made dinner, fed Jude, bathed Jude, and had a dance party with Jude, I made these little darlins.

Now, I can't take credit for the idea or the recipe. It all started because I'm looking for a cake recipe. One of stupendously delicious magnitude. so... Naturally, I ended up in the cupcake section of somebody's blog. I'm so distractable. I'm not even really a tea drinker. I drink a ton of coffee, but do occasionally drink tea, even though I have an entire cabinet filled with teas of every variety. My favorite, though, has always been Earl Grey. I love how it smells, and these cupcakes do not disappoint.

So anyway, whenever I have a recipe idea, I consider it some kind of divine miracle if I already have every ingredient. If you've been in my kitchen, you know that, at times, we get very bare bones around here. So here ya go:

EARL GREY CUPCAKES

1/2 cup unsalted butter (softened)

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2/1/4 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. salt

1 T earl grey ( I highly suggest using more..mix it all together and just sprinkle in more as you see fit)

1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350.

Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add each egg individually, thoroughly mixing between each one. In a separate bowl mix together dry ingredients including tea. Add half of dry ingredients to butter mixture--mix, then add milk and rest of ingredients. Stir just until ingredients are combined. Line a muffin pan with papers and fill 2/3rds full. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Let cool entirely before icing.

LEMON ZEST ICING

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

zest from 1 lemon

2 T fresh lemon juice

Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add zest and juice, mix.

Chick Peas!

I love chick peas. A lot. I've been known to eat them out of the can before I ever have a chance to do anything with them. One of the reasons I like them so much is they have a lot of protein, and since I don't eat a ton of meat, I feel good about this.

Below is a snack I like to make (and Jude likes it too...but he'll also sit on the kitchen table and eat all the beans out of your chili...)

Ingredients:

1 or 2 cans of chick peas

olive oil

garlic salt

salt

cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 450.

Drain the peas. Blot with a paper towel to get any remaining moisture off. In a bowl, drizzle olive oil over the peas (just enough to coat them is all you really need). Sprinkle remaining ingredients over the peas to taste. I don't like a ton of garlic, so I end up using mostly salt and cayenne pepper. I like mine very peppery, but try to refrain, since Jude likes them too.

Pour onto a baking pan, spreading them out so they are in one layer. Bake for 30-40 minutes. I usually pull them out around 32 minutes...the littles ones will get very crispy, the bigger ones not so much, but they will burn very quickly, so keep an eye on them.

Store in an airtight container lined with some paper towels to absorb any extra olive oil.

Ohh Mozzarella, You're So Delicious

So I set out to make Mozzarella fueled with inspiration and a love of cheese. It can't be that hard, right? I stole this recipe completely and entirely from my friend Lacy. In fact, since Mozzarella turned out to not be the breeze I anticipated it being, you may wish to consult Lacy's site because the woman knows her stuff! I also regret to inform the few of you who are reading this, that the pictures I took of this endeavor did not turn out due to a lens error on my camera...ugh! That's a rant for another day, though. So all my disclaimers out of the way-- here goes:

I actually made this twice. The first time it came out the consistency of cake batter and refused to straighten up and be cheese. I was disheartened, but! Determined not to be beaten by mozzarella, I set out a second time and was rewarded deliciously with success and a container of cheese in my freezer.

Ingredients:

2 gal milk

2.5 tsp citric acid powder dissolved in 1 cup of cool water

1 tablet Rennet dissolved in 1/2 cup cool water (note: if you can't find the tablets, 1 tsp liquid Rennet is comparable to 1 tablet)

2 tsp salt

You'll also need a thermometer. I used a candy thermometer that clips to the lip of the pan.

OK a quick note about the ingredients. I found the citric acid powder at a health foods store. Though I have heard rumors that some super markets have both citric acid and Rennet in the baking aisle, this was not the case in Lynchburg. I spent more money on gas searching for these items than I did on all the items together. The Rennet I was eventually able to locate at a farmer's market kind of place in Madison Heights but not before I got multiple blank looks from multiple store owners.

Here's what you do:

Using a non-reactive stock pot, bring the milk to 88° over medium heat. While the milk is heating, prepare the citric acid solution and the Rennet solution. Once the milk reaches 88°, add the citric acid solution, stirring. The milk will begin to curdle. Add the Rennet solution and stir occasionally until the temperature reaches 105°. Once the temperature reaches 105°, remove from heat and let the mixture set for about 2 hours. You should see the curd begin to separate from the whey (the liquid part) and the curds should have a "set" appearance. The time I was successful, this took about 2.5 hours. Cut the curd into cube-like sections and slowly reheat the mixture on low heat. Once the temperature reaches 108°, keep it here stirring occasionally for 30-40 minutes. You want to keep the curd on top of the whey from clumping back together, and from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Using a slotted spoon, remove the curds portion from the whey in the pot and place in a collander to drain for about 20 minutes. You can save the whey to make ricotta. Break up the curds and evenly add salt. Put curds into a glass bowl and microwave for about 45-60 seconds. Once it cools slightly, knead it to evenly distribute the heat and nuke again for 20 more seconds. This time knead and stretch the cheese until it has a shiny appearance. (This won't take long). Roll into balls and store in a water solution with 2tsp salt. You can also freeze mozzarella.

My newest love is Triscuits--specifically Fire Roasted Tomato and Olive Oil Triscuits. You have no idea how amazing a slice of home-made mozzarella tastes on this cracker...

La Tasca's and a Glorious Tabla de Quesos Españoles

I'm all for trying new places and new things, but there are always those places that you find your mind drifting back to, and know that it'll never disappoint. That's how La Tasca's is for us (Katie and me). There are several locations, but our fall-back is the one on King Street in Old Town Alexandria. This place has seen us through many a date night, date happy hour, date luncheon..whatever. Turns out Spanish Tapas are delicious no matter what time of day it is.

I can personally vouch for the savignon blanc, and I'm pretty sure that at this point we've sampled all of the vegetarian and seafood options and never been disappointed (except for maybe the fried calamari..it was on special and we got talked into it.) Some of our regulars include: Montado de Salmon Y queso Fresco- toasted bread with smoked salmon and cream cheese, Arroz Cremoso de Setas- Spanish risotto with Manchego cheese, porcini, and wild mushrooms, Setas al Ajillo- assorted wild mushrooms lightly sauteed in garlic and olive oil. etc etc. The point is, the menu is extensive, and we spend long periods of time perusing and discussing what 5-6 would make the most delectable meal.

This past time we visited La Tasca's, fueled by leaving the baby and our keys at home in good hands, we ordered a pitcher of Sangria and began our methodical discussion of the menu. We decided to begin with a few starters-- a mixed bowl of olives, some garlic and a cheese platter--of which we have yet to stop talking. See below

Tabla de Quesos Españoles

A sampling of imported Spanish cheeses served with quince paste: (in order from mildest to strongest)
Tetilla – A mild cow’s milk cheese, aged only one week and great with sliced apples
Manchego – A mild, slightly salty sheep’s milk cheese with a grainy texture
Delicia de Cabra – A goat cheese that is creamy, elastic, and extremely white in color; it is mild and salty
Serena – A soft, spreadable cheese made from Merino sheep’s milk; has a buttery flavor
Cabrales – A blue veined cheese cured in Asturian mountain caves, smells more potent that it tastes

Never have I been more delighted with a cheese platter. Needless to say, though we ordered a few other things, we filled up on cheese and Sangria. Decadent!