Bacon and Having Faith

Well, we’re back and I hope you all had a fabulous week. This past Wednesday was the beginning of my online business class. When I signed up for this class I knew we couldn’t really afford it but I signed up anyway. I had taken this attitude of – I am just going to move forward anyway with no hesitations, left to my faith that the money will present itself if it is meant to be. All I needed to do was the footwork. Well, Tuesday was here and I was still not sure how I was going to pay for the class so Tuesday morning I got on the phone with the registrar for the class and asked if they had a scholarship for the class as I had no extra money to pay for the $150 class. He said that he needed some sort of proof of situation like a disability letter, proof of unemployment or a paycheck stub. I thought to myself, there is no way I am going to be approved for this but I am just going to proceed and see what happens. When trying to print out a paycheck stub from our HR site I asked my friend/boss Lorna for some help. After explaining my situation to her she helped me to get it printed out, which I did. I should mention that I had recently been laid of from my job and then at the last minute my last day was pushed back a couple of months. Anyway, she then said to me, “you know, when we knew you were leaving, we took up a collection for you but then you weren’t leaving for another few months and I still have the collection. With the permission of all the donators we would like to give you the money for the class”… This just solidified my beliefs. It felt so incredible. It was such an amazing feeling and it came from people who are so amazing, people I love with all my heart and who are my guardian angels in this world. Thank you so much my friends for such a generous gift. I can’t say thank you enough. So….first class is done and was an amazing experience. 12 more weeks to go. I will be presenting questions along the way in this blog so feel free to answer them as they are presented to you. And on we go….

Now getting down to the nitty the gritty of it all…THE FOOD.

IN TODAY’S KITCHEN:

PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP BACON COOKIES!

That’s right. You heard it. These cookies make your house smell amazing. The original recipe I tried is a Food Network recipe. The only problem is, and I have found this when using Food Network Recipes….there are errors in their recipes. This recipe is an example of this. I am posting the original recipe with a PERSONAL NOTE/SUGGESTION: the dough tends to be a little dry so adding more butter will help, well more butter always helps doesn’t it ;- ) but not necessary. You be the judge. you need to have fun and experiment with recipes, that’s half the fun of it.

INGREDIENTS:

1/14 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

pinch of chipotle or ancho chile powder. I prefer and used ancho chile powder.

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

5 strips of BACON

4 tablespoons unsalted butter (NOTE: according to Giada De Laurentis, unsalted is better use when baking, so we better listen to Giada, or not, just thought I would add that suggestion. I’ve baked both ways and not noticed much of a difference)

1/2 creamy peanut butter (NOTE: I use natural peanut butter because IT’S BETTER FOR YOU)

1/2 cup granulated sugar (NOTE: You can also chose to use a Splenda or stevia baking mix to cut the sugar if you chose.)

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar (NOTE: there’s also a Splenda brown sugar baking mix you can use instead if you chose)

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (NOTE: I always use a high quality vanilla because it has a richer taste)

1/2 cup roughly chopped honey-roasted peanuts

1/3 cup bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips (NOTE: I love to use Guittard chocolate chips).

1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, chile powder and salt in a large bowl

2

Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 4 to 6 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate; reserve 2 tablespoons of the drippings and set aside to cool. Crumble the bacon, discarding any chewy bits.

3

Beat the butter and reserved bacon drippings in a large bowl of a stand mixer on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Beat in the granulated and light brown sugar until creamy, about 4 minutes, then add the egg and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 more minutes.

4

Reduce the mixer speed to low; add the flour mixture in 2 additions, scraping down the bowl as needed, until just combined. Stir int he peanuts and all but 2 tablespoons each of the chocolate chips and bacon.

5

Form the dough into 12 balls and arrange 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Flatten with your fingers because the cookies will not spread in the oven (NOTE: If you do end up adding more butter to the recipe the cookies will spread out more, also, I use the ball of my hand); press the reserved bacon and chocolate chips on top. Bake until golden, 12 to 14 minutes. Let the cookies cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

(NOTE: it should make 12 cookies)

So I have to say that when I made these I started in the evening and went to bed with the warm comforting smell of cookies and bacon wafting through the house. I don’t eat bacon or red meat for that matter but the smell of bacon is intoxicating. I made these for my husband who is the Bacon King. He’ll eat bacon on or in anything and he loves these cookies. Also, in this recipe I did not add the extra butter. The first time I made them I did add butter. Again I encourage you to use your own intuition, creativity, curiosity and play around with recipes.

On another note, a couple weekends ago I co-hosted a Pampered Chef party with my friend Lisa Harvey. I just love these things. Chef catalogs, chef or cooking products and cooking stores like Sur La Table are like Disneyland to me. I get overwhelmed with all the gadgets that make you want to say “What? They make a tool for that. Cool”. Typically at a Pampered Chef party you will have a food demo which demos the Pampered Chef products. We made Monte Cristo Puffs and White Chocolate Cream Cheese Filled Strawberries.

Here are the recipes and shots of the lovelies….have fun with them. These are great little goodies to bring to a pot luck or if you have people over for a brunch or a tea, so many ideas and again, have fun.

MINI MONTE CRISTO PUFFS

This recipe is so amazingly easy and so delish. We experimented and also made some with a Raspberry Jalapeno Jelly on top instead of the strawberry jam. Phenomenal. Experiment with the bread too although it needs to be a soft bread like a french bread maybe or even a soft whole wheat sandwich bread might add a different dimension. I ended up buying the mini muffin tin because you can make an amazing amount of little finger foods like this with it…think mac and cheese puffs, Smores cups (I’ll be making these for the next blog and just about anything else you can fit in a mini mufffin cup. Have fun with it.

INGREDIENTS

4 slices white sandwich bread
4 oz (125 g) sliced deli ham
4 oz (125 g) Swiss cheese
2 oz (60 g) cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
2 tsp (10 mL) Dijon mustard
2 tbsp (30 mL) strawberry jam

1

Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Spray cups of Deluxe Mini-Muffin Pan with nonstick cooking spray. Cut bread into 1/2-in. (1-cm) cubes using Utility Knife. Coarsely chop ham in Manual Food Processor. Grate Swiss cheese using Microplane® Adjustable Coarse Grater.

2

Whisk cream cheese, eggs and mustard in Classic Batter Bowl until smooth; stir in bread, ham and Swiss cheese. Spoon about 1 tbsp (15 mL) of the mixture into each cup of the pan.

3

Bake 10-12 minutes or until puffs are light golden brown. Remove puffs from pan to Stackable Cooling Rack. Spoon jam into a small resealable plastic bag; trim the corner and squeeze jam evenly over puffs.

This recipe makes 24. Nutrients per serving: (1 appetizer): Calories 50, Total Fat 3 g, Saturated Fat 1.5 g, Cholesterol 25 mg, Sodium 120 mg, Carbohydrate 4 g, Fiber 0 g, Protein 3 g

(NOTE: Use the long flat end of the cleaning tool from the Garlic Press to easily remove the puffs from the pan. Sandwich bread is sliced white bread with a squared-off top. You can also use regular sliced white bread for this recipe. You can also mix it up with the jam on top. We also experimented with a Raspberry Jalapeno jelly which brought it to a whole new level. Amazing. EXPERIMENT!

WHITE CHOCOLATE CREAM CHEESE

FILLED STRAWBERRIES

 – © 2009 The Pampered Chef used under license.

While the picture doesn’t do these justice please follow the personal note that I added regarding the chocolate drizzle. You can experiment with this as well with maybe a caramel drizzle or anything that you think goes well with strawberry…maybe even a white chocolate drizzle! GO FOR IT

INGREDIENTS

16-20 medium (about 1 1/4″/3cm each) fresh strawberries

1/3 cup white chocolate morsels

4 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese or Neufchatel, softened

1/2 teaspoon thawed whipped topping

1 graham cracker

1/4 cup semi sweet chocolate morsels

1

Stem and hand hull strawberries using Core & More. Cut a very thin slice off pointed end of strawberries to form a flat base. Place strawberries on paper-towel-lined Medium Sheet Pan.

2

Add cream cheese and Vanilla to batter bowl. Whisk until smooth using Stainless Whisk; stir in whipped topping. Spoon filling into Easy Accent® Decorator fitted with open star tip.

3

Place white chocolate morsels in Small Batter Bowl. Microwave, uncovered, on HIGH 45-60 seconds or until almost melted; stir until smooth. Coarsely chop graham cracker using Food Chopper.

4

Place semi-sweet chocolate morsels into (1-cup/250-mL) Prep Bowl. Microwave, uncovered, on HIGH 45-60 seconds or until almost melted; stir until smooth. Spoon chocolate into small resealable plastic bag; trim the corner.
Pipe filling evenly into each strawberry. Sprinkle with chopped graham cracker; drizzle with melted chocolate.

This recipe makes 16 portions. Nutrients per serving: Calories 70, Total Fat 4 g, Saturated Fat 2.5 g, Cholesterol 5 mg, Sodium 30 mg, Carbohydrate 7 g, Fiber 1 g, Protein 1 g

(NOTE: First and foremost…the chocolate drizzle on the top, when done according to this recipe the chocolate can be a little thick and not very easy to drizzle. For a glassier, shiny chocolate and a little thinner which makes it easier to drizzle try adding vegetable oil to the chocolate. Also, any crispy cookie can be substituted for the graham cracker, if desired. In Step 5, white chocolate morsels can be substituted for the semi-sweet chocolate morsels, if desired.)

So that’s what I’ve been up to this week. I had planned in making Irish Soda Bread but will probably save that for next week as well as trying these cute little Smores Cups recipe I found. Stay tuned and remember to have fun with the recipes and think outside the box.

I usually have these oracle cards that I read, which I try to read from every day. I’ll pick a card to give me some clarity usually. Today’s card was The Time Guardian – You have time. The divinatory meaning is…feeling pushed for time, that time is moving too fast or too slow, feeling left behind, or that all is moving too forward so fast we are no longer important or relevant. A need to ensure that natural timekeeping is kept. It is likely, when this card comes up, that you may have a theme of running late or of never having enough time, or of feeling that time is not on your side. Not so! (Ha! this was so appropriate for today as I have so much to do today and not sure I have enough time to get it done. I am moving forward knowing I will get it all done.)

A New Beginning

Welcome to a new beginning for this blog. After some re-construction and re-thinking we have come up with a new look, a new attitude and a new title…”The Passion Project: a journey for food and the spirit”. I hope you enjoy this blog and hope that you will join me on my trip to make my passion for food a rewarding career and my spiritual journey along the way. My hopes for this blog are to share recipes and insight and strategies to find your way through to making your work your passion and vice versa.

I would like to give a shout out to my sweet friend for life Patti Mann for sharing a very inspiring article. This article is the inspiration for this blog and something I hope you read and that it inspires you too.

http://tinybuddha.com/blog/meaning-passion-blog/getting-out-of-a-rut-and-working-on-a-passion

What is it about food and baking in particular, that brings out such joy in me. First and foremost I think it’s the beauty of baked goods that I find so exciting. The combination of the way it looks and the way it tastes and tickles your taste buds really affects me. Secondly, I love the way it lends itself to using your creativity which is what I’m all about.

I would like to give a nod to a book that I think anyone who wants to know about baking should have. It’s called “The Art and Soul of Baking” By Cindy Mushet. This book is a combination of primer, class and recipes. I love it. It’s a soup to nuts type of book that will show you how to use all those things and understand all those words that you’ve heard and just went…”What the hell is that?”. It has a very extensive glossary and a primer for each section that comes in handy. When you get to the cakes section there is a soup to nuts primer on everything about baking cakes including how to add additions to your recipe and how to use each type of ingredient. I can’t stress enough how indispensable this is.

When and if you start out to own your own business venture…word to the wise: be careful if both you and your spouse or partner are both trying to start your own passion-filled businesses at the same time. Sure it would help if you both had the same passion but truth is that not likely to happen very often. My husband is currently following his passion to start a business building custom-built bass guitars which he is so stellar at. It really does not leave much time for your relationship if one person is doing this let alone 2 people. So, just keep that in mind when  you are both struggling to get your things you need to do done and the other is craving some more attention or needing some quality time with the other. Be patient with each other!

So today I just signed up to take a class with the Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center here is Marin. It’s a business prep class. I am so freaking excited. I decided that I’m just going to do it! No hesitations, more importantly, no excuses. The money will happen or present itself. I just have to have faith. Think “The Secret” and just move forward. Anyway, back to the RenCenter, this place is an amazing non-profit organization dedicated to helping people start their small businesses by offering business classes, Quickbooks classes and classes on how to get money to start your business. Check them out. If you are not in the San Francisco Bay area, look for something like this in your area. Check them out here http://www.rencentermarin.org/

Meanwhile, between taking classes and working the next step is practicing my passion…cooking and baking.

IN TODAY’S KITCHEN: PESTO ROLLS

I was so excited to make this recipe because I have never made my own pesto before and this was giving me my first opportunity to do that. I bought a big box of fresh basil from Trader Joes and I am telling you the smell of fresh cut basil is intoxicating. The recipe does not use pine nuts or walnuts but mentioned that you could add a few tablespoons of either if you choose. I chose to use pine nuts. I love the richness it gives the pesto and anything else for that matter such a raw lovely flavor in them. Anyway the Art and Soul of Baking recipe is fairly easy to follow…

EQUIPMENT YOU WILL NEED:

Food processor, stand mixer with dough hook, whisk, bowl scraper, Plastic tub or large mixing bowl (for proofing) baking sheet or pizza stone, parchment paper, cooling rack, kitchen scissors

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups (1.5 ounces) loosely packed fresh basil leaves

1/4 cup (2 ounces) olive oil

1/4 cup (1 ounce) freshly grated Parmesan cheese

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1/4 cup (2 ounces) olive oil

1/2 teaspoon plus 1.5 teaspoon salt

1 cup (8 ounces) warm water

1 tablespoon active dry yeast, or 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast (NOTE: the best way to store and keep your dry yeast is in the freezer)

3 1/4 cups (16 1/4 ounces) bread flour or unbleached all-purpose flour

1 

MAKE THE PESTO: combine the basil, olive oil, Parmesan, garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt in the bowl of your food processor and process until very finely chopped and paste-like.

2

MIX, REST AND KNEAD THE DOUGH: Place the warm water in the bowl  of the stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast over the top. By hand whisk in 1/4 cup of the flour. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes, or until the yeast is activated and looks foamy. Add the pesto and whisk by hand until well blended. Add the remaining 3 cups of flour and the 1.5 teaspoons salt. Attach the dough hook and blend on low until the dough begins to come together and form a cohesive mass, about 2 to 3 minutes. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp lint-free cotton towel and let the dough rest for 20 minutes to allow to fully hydrate before further kneading. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and turn the dough over so everything gets mixed evenly. Knead on low speed until the dough is firm, elastic and smooth, 3 to 6 minutes.

3

RISE THE DOUGH (FIRST RISE): Lightly oil the tub or bowl, scrape the dough into the tub and brush the surface of the dough with a little oil. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until doubled, about 1 hour (longer if the room is cold). If you are using a tub be sure to mark the starting level of the dough with a pencil or piece of tape so it’s easy to tell when the dough has doubled.

4

PUNCH DOWN, DIVIDE AND SHAPE THE ROLLS: (on a personal note – this is the hardest part for me and the part where I need the most practice. Don’t get upset or frustrated with how the first batch looks, just get used to the recipe and practice rolling and shaping your breads or rolls with each recipe you do. Each one will make you better at it so hang in there.) Turn the dough out onto a work surface. Press down the surface of the dough firmly to expel some of the air bubbles, but don’t knead the dough again or it will be too springy and difficult to shape (if this happens simply cover the dough with plastic wrap or a damp lint-free cotton towel and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes to give the gluten some time to relax). Divide the dough into 8 equal portions (about 3 1/4 ounces each) and shape each one into a taut, round ball. Place the rolls on the prepared baking sheet or stone about 3 inches apart.

5

PROOF THE DOUGH (SECOND RISE): Cover the rolls loosely with plastic wrap or a damp lint-free cotton towel and let rise until almost doubled in size, 35-45 minutes. They should look like they took a deep breath.

6

PREPARE THE OVEN: Place a baking sheet or pizza stone  in the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degree F. Be sure to allow 30 minutes to 1 hour for the stone to fully heat.

7

BAKE THE ROLLS: Remove the plastic wrap or towel and dust the top of the rolls lightly with a sprinkling of flour – don’t go crazy here or you’ll have a mouthful of flour. You can use the tip of a pair of kitchen scissors to make a decorative slash or two in the of each roll. Immediately place the pan in the oven on the baking stone or baking sheet. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer to cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

If you try this recipe we would love to hear from you to hear how it was for you so please feel free to contact us.

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Thanks all for your support and we will see you same time next week and at the request or suggestion of Patti Mann next week we will make some IRISH SODA BREAD.