Book club books

Over the last few months I've been participating in a book club at work. I've never done a book club before, and wasn't quite sure if I'd like it. I have been enjoying myself, but it does lend a certain homework-y vibe to my reading that I don't really like. Since I tend to read several books at once, and switch around depending on my mood, it's difficile to settle on reading one book at a certain time every month, especially if it's a book that I'm not really enjoying!

So far we have read Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz, The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon, Julie and Julia by Julie Powell, and The Pesthouse by Jim Crace.

I really liked The Yiddish Policeman's Union--a detective novel set in an alternate history where Sitka, Alaska is a city of two million Jews. As a mystery it wasn't the best plot ever, the ending was vague, which is always annoying, and Detective Meyer Landsman is very stereotypical: a divorced, alchoholic, bitter man, who solves his crimes based mostly on hunches, and of course, continues to stay on cases even after being ordered to shelve them by his commanding officer/ex-wife. But it's the minor characters and the yiddish-sprinkled language, and the whole intriguing idea of Jewish Sitka that made this book for me.

Julie and Julia was pretty much awful. There were a few moments where I was hoping for more, but it just kept disappointing me. The main character/author, Julie Powell, undertakes the task of trying to cook through The Art of French Cooking by Julia Child in one year. The premise was interesting, but Julie is a whiny, self-preoccupied person, who tries to hard to be funny and frankly by halfway through the book I just wanted her to stop. I did really like the chapter on lobster recipes though; her descriptions of trying to kill the lobsters made me laugh out loud.

The Pesthouse is harder to define. I didn't really like it, and I didn't really dislike it. I just read it. It tells the story of two people, Franklin Lopez, and a girl named Margaret, who are both separated from their families in post-apocalyptic America. Franklin left his family willingly, heading for the east coast and a ship to Europe in hopes of a better life. Margaret was ostracized by her family, and sent to a pesthouse because of her illness. Franklin and Margaret end up traveling along a ruined former highway together, and their experiences include marauders, attempted rapists, religious fanatics known as Finger Baptists, and a small child called Bella. Somehow the book never really grabbed my interest though. My description of their experiences makes them sound much more exciting than they really were; the story itself plodded along, and nothing much seemed to happen.

So the book club picks have been mixed so far, but I have high hopes for the next few months. This month we're reading assorted short stories, next month is Revolutionary Road, the month after that is In the Woods, and then we're finishing out the year with Lavinia. Should be good!

Enchiladas Part Three: The Beef

Shredded Beef

1 two lb pot roast
2 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chile powder
1 tsp onion salt
3-4 cups water
1 tbsp oil

In a large pan heat the oil to a pretty high heat, and brown the roast slightly on all sides. Once the roast is browned remove it to a crockpot. Sprinkle the meat with half of each of the spices, pour in 3 cups water, and cook on high for about 2 hours, turning the roast over occasionally. If necessary add another cup of water during this part (you want the water to cover most of the roast). After the two hours use two forks to pry the meat into a couple of smaller chunks. It may still be hard to separate, but you should be able to break it into three or four pieces. Also cut off any huge fatty pieces that are obvious. Then place the lid back on, turn the heat down to low, and cook about eight hours, or overnight.

The next part is a little weird, but I am totally grossed out by fatty meat, so this is my method for getting most of the fat out. In the morning I take the hot crockpot, stir the meat around a little more, put the lid back on, and put the whole crockpot in the fridge while I go to work.

When I get home from work, I take it out, and the fat rises to the top in chunks once it gets cold. If it was a really fatty roast you may be able to just lift the pieces of fat off the top with a fork, because they'll be pretty big. The one I used the other day was leaner, and just had dots of fat floating, so I put a big bowl in the sink, put a strainer inside it, and then drained the liquid off the meat into the bowl, so the strainer caught all the fat.

Return the meat and about 2 cups of the liquid back to the crockpot (or a large saucepan). You want the liquid to be just about at the top of the pieces of meat, so you may need a little more or less than 2 cups. Add the remaining half of the spices, and cook the meat on high for about 1 1/2 hours. Every few minutes stir the meat around and use two forks to pull it apart into small shreds. Once the liquid has been absorbed, and the meat is all shredded, turn the heat down to low, and then use the meat to make some fantastic enchiladas or flautas.

With this amount of meat you could make two pans of enchiladas according the method I described in my previous post, or you could make a pan of enchiladas and about eight flautas. Delicioso!

Enchiladas Part Two: Finally a Happy Ending

Irritated by my enchiladas fiasco a week or two ago, I decided to go back to my standard shredded beef/green enchilada sauce recipe, and was relieved to discover that I could in fact make bueno enchiladas! Granted the sauce may not be completely authentic, I'm pretty sure that adding milk is not exactly standard, but it tastes yummy, and it's the perfect complement to the shredded beef. The beef is garlicky and tender, the sauce is creamy and spicy, and then fresh, pliable tortillas, and shredded cheese are added--how could it not be fabulous?

And the leftover meat made some pretty awesome flautas too, to which our Friday night guests and my sister would probably both attest. Noel and I finished off the last two enchiladas for lunch today, and I'm already wanting to make it again, just talking about the taste of these makes my mouth start watering! The one small downside is that while the beef is cooking your house will pretty much smell like some sort of weird meat factory, which is really unappealing first thing in the morning (I cook it overnight in a crockpot), but don't worry about what your neighbors might think of your strange odours and emanations, you can take them some of the finished product, and all will be forgiven.

Shredded Beef Enchiladas with Salsa Verde

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup flour

1 cup + 3 tbsp milk, divided

1 cup chopped onion

2 (4 oz) cans of chopped green chiles

7 oz spicy salsa verde

dash of salt

7-8 10 inch flour tortillas

the shredded meat from one 2 lb roast

(sorry, I didn't think to measure how much meat I got as as the finished product)

2 cups shredded cheese, preferably cheddar or jack

In a large saucepan melt the 1/2 cup butter over medium heat. Saute the chopped onion in the butter for 2-3 minutes, until the onions begin to soften. Add the green chiles, and keep stirring for another minute or two. Then add in the flour, stirring quickly to keep the flour from scorching. It will soon turn into a bunch of weird green lumps as the flour sticks to the onions and chiles, but keep stirring the lumps around until all the flour is absorbed. Increase the heat slightly, and slowly add in one cup of milk, stirring constantly, until the milk combines with the lumps and makes a fairly smooth sauce. It'll never be completely smooth because of the chiles and onions, but just try to make sure that there are no flour lumps. Add a dash of salt if desired.

Once the sauce is pretty smooth, stir in the salsa verde. Let the sauce thicken for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, then remove one cup of the sauce to a microwave safe cup or bowl. Add the shredded beef to the saucepan with the remaining sauce, stirring until the sauce and beef combine into a sort of paste (which sounds gross, but will taste great!)

Spread about 1/2 a cup of the meat mixture along the edge of a tortilla. Sprinkle the meat with about 2 tablespoons of cheese and roll the tortilla up. Place the enchilada into a lightly greased 9x13 pan. Keep repeating this until you've used up your tortillas, and your pan is full of enchiladas (you should only use about half of the meat mixture.) Take the cup of sauce that you set aside, and stir in an extra 3 tbsp of milk to thin it slightly. Microwave it for about 20 seconds to re-warm it if necessary. Spread the sauce over the top of the enchiladas, then sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes, or until the cheese on the top is crunchy, and the enchiladas seem hot through.

One, two, buckle my blueberry

At the risk of sounding a bit Janet Evanovich-ish, the name "Blueberry Buckle" makes me think of "one, two, buckle my shoe, three, four, shut the door." I was trying to make it rhyme...."One, two, buckle my blueberry, three four, shut the funerary/ dromedary/ Londonderry..." but I'm having trouble thinking of appropriate words ending in "erry" or "ary"... so let's just stick with Blueberry Buckle.

In case you don't know: a buckle (in baking terms) is a coffee-cake like item, almost always made with blueberries, and always topped with a deliciously decadent streusel. It's closely related to the crumble, and falls in the same family as pandowdys and Brown Bettys. (I must say, I really like the names that American settler-types came up with for their desserts. The list that includes the desserts I just mentioned also includes grunts, slumps, and sonkers...which all sound a bit like the noises a messy eater might make while stuffing their faces with some fabulous blueberry buckle or apple pandowdy). The buckle gets its name from its streusel topping, which 'buckles' in the oven while it's baking.

Blueberry Buckle tastes like a sweet, cake-like blueberry muffin that traded tops with its friend the dutch apple pie. The buckle is loaded, completely stuffed, with fresh blueberries, bursting with juiciness all through the sweet cake batter. Then the top is cinnamon-y and spicy, crunchy, and sweet, and the whole thing is absolutely perfect. Perfect, perfect, perfect. The dough is spiked with spices like nutmeg and cloves (whose ridiculously deep smell always strikes me as redolent of faraway places, conjuring up images of camel trains laboring across the Silk Road to bring such delicacies to the not-so-good-smelling Europeans), and its enticing aroma will make you impatient to slice in right away, but resist! I promise, it's actually better when it's closer to room temperature, or even cold. You can't properly appreciate the sweetness or the crunchiness when it's piping hot. The buckle is not necessarily the prettiest baked good on the block, it cannot compare in tidiness with a muffin, but a slice of this for breakfast is heaven.

Blueberry Buckle
adapted from mi madre's recipe

3/4 cup white granulated sugar
1/4 cup shortening
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

1/4 cup white granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, slightly softened

In a medium bowl sift together flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cloves, set aside. In a larger bowl cream together the white sugar and shortening, then beat in the eggs and milk, until mixture is smooth and mostly lump-free. Gradually stir in the flour mixture, again until mixture is smooth. Then gently fold in the blueberries. Spoon the batter into either one nine inch square pan, or two smaller loaf shaped pans (either way the pans need to be lightly greased on the bottom and sides). The batter won't be very thick, so don't worry if it doesn't seem like quite enough at first.

In a small bowl (or that medium bowl you used for the flour) mix together the sugars, cinnamon, flour, and butter, until the mixture is fine and crumbly, and there are no big chunks of butter. I used a pastry cutter for this part, which worked really well. Then sprinkle this topping evenly over the batter, making sure to get all the way to the corners!

Bake in an oven that was pre-heated to 375 degrees for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, and the topping is firm and brown.

Then cool on a wire rack for at least half an hour, maybe a bit more, until the buckles have cooled. Carefully remove to a cutting board, slice, and devour.

Five reasons I want to move to Scotland

1. It's socially acceptable to eat scones for breakfast AND tea.

2. I'm pretty sure I'd giggle forever if Noel ever put on a kilt.

3. I could say words in indecipherable English. Things like "awae wi ye"!

4. Edinburgh sounds like an amazing place to live--full of spectacular architecture, a varied history, and a hilariously dour population.

5. I'm kind of in love with John Rebus. In the last month I've read six Ian Rankin books. I read one a few months ago, without realizing I started with the 18th in the series or something like that. I liked Rebus's character at that point, but I wasn't particularly hooked until I started with book one, Knots and Crosses, and am now through Mortal Causes, book six. Reading them in order makes Rebus come to life. You catch the little references about the fringe characters in his life that carry on from book to book. It's also possible to watch his character change, often as a result of the changing women in his life. His ongoing battles with 'whisky' and cigarrettes make him real, a little bit depressing, and a little bit funny, in a very Scottish sort of way.

I'm definitely hooked! So awae wi ye, I've got more Ian Rankin books to read!

Absentmindedness

Normally I'm a fairly precise baker. Messy, but an accurate measurer anyway. But in the last week I have made two batches of muffins, in my quest to find a yummy, healthy muffin, and both times I have left out key ingredients.

On Monday night I made banana muffins, not the fat free version I tried before, but a low-fat version which seemed to be coming together nicely. Then right after I had scooped all the batter into the muffin tins I licked my finger, and realized I'd left out the sugar. So I scooped what I could back out into the bowl, mixed in the sugar, and put it back in the tins. Surprisingly they actually tasted pretty good, but they looked totally weird! The remants of what I hadn't been able to scoop out were dark and crusty, so while the main part of the muffins were good, they had these bizarre crispy lumps and bumps all over the outsides. Needless to say, I did not take pictures of this batch.

Then last night I made some blueberry banana muffins, mostly because I had tons of blueberries and one sad and blackened banana still hanging out. This time I completely forgot to add the egg--and I didn't realize it until they were halfway through their baking time. They came out looking ok, and they don't taste necessarily bad; but kind of odd. The word that comes to mind is flat, which doesn't really make sense in a muffin, especially since they didn't fall flat, but there's just some sort of flat flavor to them.

So I'm working on the muffin challenge. But before I post more recipes I think I'd better actually make one completely. Hopefully sometime this weekend, once I've escaped from my Olympics-induced stupor and caught up on sleep a little bit I'll be able to make some really delicious (and accurate) muffins!

Grandma-Inspired Macaroni and Cheese

For the last few days I've been craving some luscious home-made macaroni and cheese, and so the other day I headed for Trader Joe's to get some good cheese. This in and of itself would amaze my mother. As a child I invariably complained whenever my mom made macaroni and cheese, or hesitantly took teeny portions of my grandma's famous macaroni and cheese. But Kraft Mac and Cheese? I LOVED it! For some reason my childish tastebuds were a big fan of processed food (I also preferred those mashed potatoes where you just add water to the flakes to real mashed potatoes, much to the bewilderment of my family). Although I am still a fairly picky eater, I have broadened my horizons, at least as far as macaroni and cheese anyway!

Therefore I was on my cheesy quest when I spied some packages of already cubed pancetta; and the rest, as they say, is history. Indeed, visions of pasta and cheese were dancing through my mind last night as I sleepily stared at the tv during swimming and women's gymnastics.

So tonight, giddy and tired with Olympic joy/lack of sleep from staying awake "late" to watch said Olympics (yes it makes me feel like I'm about 62, but 11:30 does feel late nowadays); I decided that a big dish of comforting mac and cheese would be the perfect thing to hopefully accompany another night of Olympic glory. Maybe it seems like an odd thing to make on a 100 degree day, but hey, it's southern Arizona, if I only made baked dishes on cold days, I'd only get to eat mac and cheese about twice a year.

I boiled the pasta and shredded the cheese and pan-fried the pancetta, and stirred and mixed it all together into a pan of fantastic, delicious, gooey perfection. I hate to brag on myself (kinda) but this really was the best macaroni I've ever made. I loosely adapted the recipe for my Grandma's mac and cheese, substituting rather more decadent ingredients than she normally uses. It really did come together beautifully, and even though it's a little bit time-consuming to shred all the cheese and assemble everything, it was kind of therepeutic to take my time and let it all meld together. I used half swiss cheese to give it a tang, and half cheddar, to give it the stereotypcial mac and cheese glow. The crispy bits of salty pancetta were the perfect complement to the warm cheese-engulfed pasta, topped with extra cheese and some Italian breadcrumbs for extra crunch on the top. Et voila, bon appetit!

Swiss and Cheddar Celentani with Pancetta

1 lb hollow pasta, such as elbow macaroni or celentani

1/2 lb pancetta, cubed

(you could probably substitute regular bacon for equally good taste)

1 1/2 cups swiss cheese, shredded

1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 cup shredded or grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup flour

2 cups milk (I used 1%)

salt to taste

In a large pan bring 4 quarts of water to boil. Salt the water, and boil the pasta just until al dente, about 6 minutes. Drain the pasta, and place in a large bowl with a few cups of very cold water, to stop the pasta from cooking any more.

While the pasta is boiling, pan-fry the cubed pancetta on medium-high heat until it is crispy and dark brown. Using a slotted spoon carefully remove the pancetta to a paper towel lined plate to cool and drain. (These little suckers spit like crazy, watch out!)

Once the pasta is cooling, pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees F, and in a large pan [tangent alert! my grandma's recipe specifically says to use a different pan than the one that the pasta was boiled in, I guess because there may be starch residue in the pan? But I hate washing dishes, so I always just use the same one once I've drained the pasta]. To resume: in a large pan melt the 1/3 cup butter over medium heat. Once the butter is melted whisk in the 1/3 cup flour, whisking constantly to avoid lumps and keep the flour from scorching. Once a smooth sauce has formed slowly whisk in the milk, until the mixture is smooth and thin.

Then switch from a whisk to a spoon, and begin dropping in the shredded swiss and cheddar cheese in small handfuls, stirring thoroughly to combine. While you are stirring, increase the heat slightly until the sauce begins to bubble and thicken as you stir. Once all the cheese is incorporated and the cheese has thickened, salt to taste and turn the heat down to low. Quickly drain the pasta again, making sure that there is no water remaining in the large bowl. Return the pasta to the bowl, and pour the cheese sauce over the pasta. Stir it all together, then stir in the pancetta cubes, and spoon the mixture into a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish.

In a small bowl mix together the parmesan cheese and Italian flavored breadcrumbs. Sprinkle evenly over the top of the pasta. Bake the mac and cheese at 325 for about 20 minutes, or until hot all the way through. I always broil it for about 90 seconds at the end too, to make the topping extra golden and crunchy. Serve hot! And be prepared to eat a lot. No really, a lot. Theoretically this could feed a lot of people since it is a big panful, but three of us definitely ate more than half of the pan tonight. So I'd estimate that it'll feed about six people, unless they either hate cheese or have bird-like appetites. Or are lactose intolerant. Or vegans. Anyway, you catch my drift. Enjoy!

Well, here's the recipe I complained about in my last post

I figured I'd include the recipe for the enchilada sauce anyway, since it really was a lovely color and consistency. If you just cut the chile powder in half (or maybe even less) I think it could actually be quite tasty. I think if I make this again I would also use a spicy tomato sauce, such as El Pato, to give it a bit more of a kick.

Enchilada Sauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup flour
2-4 tbsp chile powder (to taste)
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion salt

In a medium saucepan heat the oil over medium-high heat. Stir in the flour and chile powder, whisking to prevent lumps, and cook until lightly brown. Gradually stir in the tomato sauce, water, and spices, and stir until smooth. Let the sauce cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about ten minutes, or until the sauce thickens slightly. Taste, adjust seasonings if necessary, (I would definitely not use more than 2 tbsp chile powder, and I might even increase the garlic powder and onion salt a little bit). Once the seasonings are to your liking, cook for another minute or two until all spices are blended in, and then use to make enchiladas, burritos, or whatever else your little heart desires.

Gringo Enchiladas (or why I hate chile powder right now)

Inspired by a recipe I found on allrecipes.com, I decided I was going to make my own enchilada sauce. I stopped at that section of tiny plastic bags in the Mexican food aisle at Fry's, and bought both New Mexico chile powder, and California chile powder, since I wasn't sure which was better. Eagerly I headed home, mixed up some enchilada sauce, and made a pan of beautiful rolled red beef enchiladas. Sadly however, they tasted kinda blah, and I blame the chile powder.

The sauce wasn't spicy at all, just overwhelmingly chile powder-ish. Granted, I'm not the biggest chile powder fan, I usually use it sparingly, but I feel like this result was not just me. It was the gringo recipe's fault! :) Anyway, the enchiladas themselves were pretty good, the consistency was nice, the sauce-to-meat-to-cheese-to-tortilla ratio was perfect, and the meat and cheese part was quite tasty. And the best part was, from first heating the oil for the enchilada sauce, to eating the finished product was only about 45 minutes, 20 minutes of which the enchiladas were baking, meaning that I got the dishes done before eating! So I've decided to come up with another enchilada sauce, and then I'll remake these, since the method was good.

Easy Ground Beef Enchiladas

7-8 ten-inch flour tortillas

1 lb lean ground beef

1 cup chopped onion

7 oz can peeled green chiles

4 cloves garlic, peeled, minced

salt to taste
2 cups shredded cheese (jack, cheddar, or 'mexican blend' would be fine)

3 cups enchilada sauce (I used red this time)
cooking spray

In a large skillet brown the ground beef with the onion, green chiles, garlic, and salt to taste. Once the meat is fully cooked and the onion is soft, microwave the tortillas in ten second intervals until they're warm and flexible. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Take each tortilla, place about 1/3 of a cup of the ground beef mixture in a line down the center of each tortilla. Top with about 2 tablespoons shredded cheese and two tablespoons enchilada sauce. Roll the tortilla up and place seam side down in the 9x13 pan.

Repeat these steps, smushing the enchiladas toward one end of the 9x13 as you add more of them. I only used 7 tortillas, but I actually had closer to 1 1/4 lbs of ground beef, so with only 1 pound I think 8 enchiladas should fit in the pan. Once all the enchiladas are lined up, spread the remaining enchilada sauce over the top of them, and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and enchiladas are hot.

And by the way, I like the ground beef in terms of simplicity and rapidity, but I think these would be even better with shredded beef or maybe shredded chicken (for those silly people that eat chicken anyway).

Chocolate Peanut Butter Squares

Noel and I have been watching the HBO mini-series production of John Adams, and this episode is making me very sad. I won't give it away if you haven't watched the series or read the book that I referenced earlier, but it's so good and yet so sad at the same time. All in all, I have to say that it's an amazing production, I feel like the casting was generally excellent, it's well-acted, and the few historical inaccuracies are minor enough that I can overlook them. It does drag a bit in the middle (much like McCullough's massive biography did as well) but all in all it's fantastic. In order to distract myself from the sadness though I decided to start blogging while watching, so here's the new recipe I tried today.

I feel like I ought to introduce these the way book blurbs introduce new authors "if you like Mary Higgins Clark you will love Wendy Corsi Staub" etc. So, "if you like peanut butter, you'll love these chocolate peanut butter squares". I myself love a good spoonful of peanut butter, but somehow peanut butter desserts just aren't my cup of tea. I guess I think of peanut butter as more of a savory item than a sweet item? But anyway, I took a plate of these to a church function and another container to work, and they got rave reviews. They are super sweet and rich, and you definitely should not think about the number of calories they contain, but they taste quite a bit like Reese's peanut butter cups, so "if you like Reese's, you'll love my chocolate peanut butter squares".

Chocolate Peanut Butter Squares
adapted from allrecipes.com

1 3/4 cups fine graham cracker crumbs
4 cups powdered sugar
2 cups peanut butter
1 cup butter
2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons half and half

(I did mention that you don't want to think about calories right?) Ok, first of all put the cup of butter to melt over a low heat in a medium saucepan. While the butter is melting, crush enough graham crackers to make 1 3/4 cups crumbs. They need to be really, really fine, I highly recommend using a food processor to get an even crumb. It can be a little time consuming, since I had trouble eye-balling how much 1 3/4 cups was, and had to stop and measure, and then crush some more, and then stop again....but they came out perfectly. Then in a large bowl stir together the powdered sugar and the graham cracker crumbs and set aside.

Meanwhile--back to the melted butter. Remove the melted butter from heat and stir in the two cups of peanut butter until the mixture is smooth and completely peanut butter colored. Scrape this out of the pan and into the powdered sugar and crumb mixture. Then stir a lot. Once your arm is exhausted and/or the whole mixture is well-combined pat the batter into a lightly greased 9x13 inch pan and refrigerate to cool.

While the peanut butter batter is cooling, in a heat-proof bowl over a pan of boiling water melt 2 cups chocolate chips. Carefully stir the chocolate while it's melting. Once it's mostly smooth, remove the chocolate from the heat and stir in the half and half. Then spread the chocolate over the peanut butter batter. At first it won't seem like enough to cover the whole thing, but as the chocolate cools a little bit it will spread out better, and you will have enough to cover the whole pan in a thin layer of chocolate.

Then refrigerate the pan for at least half an hour before cutting into squares. I cut mine into pretty tiny squares since they're so rich, I got about fifty out of this. I think they taste a little better cold, you might want to store them in the refrigerator all the time. I'd imagine that they'd keep for several days if refrigerated, I can't really say since mine didn't hang around that long.

I think if I make it again I might spread the peanut butter thinner, into say a 10x15 pan instead, and then melt an extra 1/2 cup or so of chocolate, it would give it a higher chocolate-to-peanut butter ration, which would be fine with me. Oh, and on a total side note, if you just happen to have some homemade marshmallows sitting around, and you tried dunking one of them in the melted chocolate from this recipe, and then sandwiching it between two of the un-blitzed graham crackers you might have left, it would probably taste pretty good. I mean, I can't say for sure, but I'd imagine it would be (a) decadent and (b) irresistible and that (c) you might have to make another one. Fair warning.

Ooey Gooeyness: Homemade Marshmallows!

My beautiful stand mixer has been sitting in its box on the kitchen counter for 3 days, partly because I wanted to make something really awesome first, and partly because I was kind of scared to open the box since I've been wanting a mixer for so long that it seemed like if I opened the box there might not really be a mixer there. So this morning, ingredients in hand, I tackled the box. I opened it and had a brief meltdown when I realized that it was empire red (aka bright red) and not, as I had thought, cinnamon (aka dark red). But I looked online, and realized that it would cost me about $40 and two weeks to get the other color, so I decided that I'm ok with empire red, even if it's pretty much glowing from the corner of the counter. Once I started making things however, I forgot this petty grievance, as I did a happy little I-have-a-mixer dance around the kitchen.

So? you ask. What did you make first? What is that pile of beautiful, fluffy, not quite perfectly square objects? Oh those, I answer nonchalantly, those are homemade marshmallows of course! And really, I have to say, they weren't all that hard. A little sticky, and a little time-consuming, but definitely worth it! They come out soft and delicious and addicting, and oh so much better than storebought marshmallows.

A couple of caveats before sharing the recipe: First, I think a stand mixer is pretty much required. Either a stand mixer, or an incredibly powerful hand mixer and some really strong arms, because the marshmallows take a looong time to mix. Second, the syrup that you start with (which gradually turns into the marshmallows) is incredibly sticky. Not just a wee bit sticky, but amazingly so. Kind of like the melted butter/marshmallow combo that you use for rice krispie treats, but more cement-like. I accidentally got a few drops on the bottom of my pan and didn't notice, and then set the pan in the window ledge to cool. When I picked the pan back up, the sticky syrup and a good chunk of paint from the window ledge were stuck to the bottom. And third, at the end what you put the sugar/starch combo on the outside of them, the powder gets EVERYWHERE. You're pretty much going to have to plan to sweep afterward, especially if you have a husband who already shakes his head in bewilderment over how you manage to coat the whole kitchen in flour (or sugar or cocoa or milk or....) when you bake. Calling the end process messy would be a bit of an understatement. But I promise, as soon as you sink your teeth into one of these bites of delectably sugary goodness, you'll realize it was all worth it!

Homemade Marshmallows

(from Molly Wizenberg's recipe in July 2008 Bon Appetit)

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

1 cup cold water (divided)

3 1/4-ounce envelopes of unflavored gelatin

2 cups granulated sugar

2/3 cup light corn syrup

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup potato starch (aka potato flour)

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Pour 1/2 cup cold water into the bowl of stand mixer with the whisk attached. Sprinkle the envelopes of gelatin over the water. Let this stand at least 15 minutes, until the gelatin softens and absorbs the water.

In a medium saucepan (one that you don't mind getting sticky) combine the granulated sugar, the corn syrup, salt, and the remaining 1/2 cup cold water. Stir this over medium low heat until sugar dissolves, brushing down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush. Increase the heat until the syrup comes to a boil. If you have a candy thermometer, boil the syrup (without stirring) until it reaches 240 degrees F. I didn't have a thermometer, I boiled mine for 8 minutes, and it seemed nice and thick and hot.

Start the mixer on low speed, and then carefully pour the syrup into the gelatin, making sure that you don't splash since the syrup is very hot. Gradually increase the speed of the mixer to high, and let it beat until the batter is very stiff and thick, about 15 minutes. The mixture will gradually thicken and turn opaque as it stiffens. Add in the vanilla at the very end, and then beat it for about 30 seconds longer.

Carefully scrape the marshmallow batter into a 13x9 inch pan that is lined with foil, and has had the foil lightly sprayed with nonstick spray. Smooth the top of the marshmallow with a wet spatula, let stand uncovered at room temperature until firm, about four hours.

In a small bowl mix the potato starch and powdered sugar. Dust a large cutting board or pastry cloth with a generous amount of the starch/sugar combo. Turn the slab of marshmallow-y goodness out of the 9x13 and onto the starched surface. Carefully peel off the foil, and dust the top of the slab with the starch combo too. Coat a small sharp knife (or cookie cutters) with nonstick spray. Cut the marshmallows into squares or other shapes. Toss them in the bowl of remaining starch/sugar combo so that they're coated on all sides. Transfer the marshmallows to wire racks (with pans beneath to catch the excess) and shake them a little, but be careful--the powder goes everywhere.

Transfer the marshmallows to an airtight container--preferably with parchment between the layers if you're not planning to eat them right away. I cut mine into cubes about 3/4 of an inch square, and got about 75 or so.

The vanilla ones are pretty perfect, but I'm already envisioning ones made with peppermint extract floating in a large mug of cocoa, and Noel says that he thinks that coconut ones would be delicious. I forsee lots of marshmallows in our future!