Lemon Ricotta Blackberry Muffins

Lemon Ricotta Blackberry Muffins

Maria of Two Peas and Their Pod (who has a pea in the oven right now!) loves ricotta. She has a bunch of recipes using ricotta cheese. When I saw these muffins on her blog, I knew I had to make them.

My local store had a sale on blackberries so I bought a bunch...some for the muffins and more for me to eat with yogurt, oatmeal and just straight out the box. This recipe places a bit of batter in the muffin tin, then place the blackberries on top, followed by more batter. Brilliant technique as it avoids crushing your blackberries when folding them into the batter. A sprinkling of sugar in the raw or turbinado sugar makes a nice crunchy top.

Easy, delicious, moist and perfect for any breakfast or bunch! And if you have leftover ricotta, check out the recipes on Maria's blog :)

Recipe:
Mom-to-be Maria's Two Peas and their Pod blog
Lemon Ricotta Blackberry Muffins

CoCo Ichibanya Japanese Curry House Restaurant, Los Angeles

CoCo Ichibanya Curry House

When I want Japanese Curry, I head to the multiple locations of the Curry House. Or, I open the pantry and pull out a block of Curry. Those were my choices... until now!

CoCo Ichibanya Curry House just opened their first restaurant on mainland* United States (there are restaurants in Hawaii *updated)! And it is in Torrance in Southern California. Whoo hoo!

My friend Jun and I went to feed her baby. The baby in her tummy. Friend Socrates and I have decided to be Jun's Food Doula....or just make up any excuse to get together to eat before and after the baby comes!

Jun has been to CoCo Ichibanya at their Japanese locations, and even went there on her honeymoon! :)

Be prepared for the menu...it's all about building your own curry. You can change the size of your curry, the amount of spicyness, and add on everything under the sun. Both Jun and I agree that we will downsize our rice next time (I think that'll save you a few cents).

Jun's Eggplant Curry, made with Japanese eggplant. The base curry is $3.99 and the topping of eggplant is $2.00.

My Vegetable Curry. The base curry is $3.99 and the topping of vegetable is $2.00.

Be sure to add the pickled daikon (radish) fukujinzuke to your curry. It adds a great texture and taste. Extra curry powder is available.

We ordered the lunch set which includes a small salad and drink for $1.50 extra. The salad dressing choices are a sesame or a ponzu/soy dressing. I loved the sesame dressing!! The total bill for the two of us was $15.48 plus tax and tip.

I definitely want to visit again and try some of the other toppings. And I think I should visit both the Curry House and this restaurant in the same week to compare! You know, I'm a librarian. It's all about research, research. ;)

Restaurant:
CoCo Ichibanya Curry House
Yelp  ::  Los Angeles Times
2455 Sepulveda Blvd, Ste C (Corner of Sepulveda & Crenshaw Blvd)
Torrance, CA 90501
(310) 294-5315

Cornmeal Shortbread Cookies - Tuesdays with Dorie

Cornmeal Shortbread Cookies

For this week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection, Valerie of Une Gamine dans la Cuisine chose Cornmeal Shortbread Cookies on page 130 of Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours.

This is an egg-less shortbread cookie with a bit of cornmeal. Super easy to throw together, roll out and let chill overnight. Cut into squares, prick twice with a fork and 25 minutes later...cookies!

Check out the other Tuesdays with Dorie bakers and see their creations!

Recipe:
Valerie of Une Gamine dans la Cuisine blog,
or, Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours (page 130)

National Library Week 2011 Winners!

Congrats to the winners of my National Library Week giveaways! Winner were picked at random. Thanks for entering and celebrating National Library Week with me! :)

Day #1: Ann (entry #95) won Sarabeth’s Bakery cookbook
Day #2: Spike (entry #77) won the 4 Crate & Barrel ramekins
Day #3: Susan (entry #71) won the Everyday Food subscription
Day #4: Jen (entry #56) won the Silpat
Day #5: Frannie (entry #35) won the Dorie Greenspan Around my French Table cookbook
Library staff giveaway: Erin (entry #30) won the Amazon gift card

Mo-Chica Peruvian Restaurant, Los Angeles

 Mo-Chica Peruvian Restaurant

UCLA Library school pals Jun, Socrates and I went to Mo-Chica, Modern Peruvian Restaurant near the other school (aka USC) yesterday. OMG! Totally deliciousness. Both Jun and Socrates have been in the past, but it was my first visit...and not my last!

Mo-Chica is known for their ceviche and all the reviews are right. Their ceviche is the best! The potato salad was wonderful too...crab meat with potato, avocado and tomato.
Causa Del Dia peruvian potato salad of the day, $5.00; Ceviche Del Dia, $12.00

Oh yes. Mary had a little lamb. ;) This was my favorite dish. The lamb falls off the bone and all the flavors are rich and perfectly spiced. Our entrees all came with a small bowl of white rice. We shared the dishes family style. 
Seco De Cordero lamb shank, canario beans, salsa criolla, cilantoro beer sauce, $13.00

The fish of the day was red snapper...under quinoa risotto. Perfectly cooked fish!  
Fish of the Day, $14.00

I love the combo of french fries with beef in Peruvian food. Well, let's be honest, I can pretty much eat french fries with anything.
Lomo Saltado beef filet, salsa criolla, fried potatoes, $13.00

Yeah...we killed it. Everything was delicious!

1) Inca Kola   2) Cebada barley ice tea with herbs and ginger root  3) Chicha Morada purple corn
Drinks $2.00 each

My pals Jun and Socrates.... And, the big news is that Jun and her husband, David are expecting!!! (Remember the beautiful wedding and the crazy dessert bar?!) Congratulations Jun!!! She's due in October and I'm so excited!

Mo-Chica Peruvian
Located in the Mercado La Paloma
(Casual mall food court environment, but Mo-Chica has very nice wait staff)
3655 S Grand Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90007
213.747.2141

A Tourtely Apple Tart - Tuesdays with Dorie

A Tourtely Apple Tart   

For this week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection, Jeanette of The Whimsical Cupcake chose A Tourtely Apple Tart on pages 306 and 307 of Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours.

For a bunch of crazy reasons, I didn't have access to my mini tart pans so I did these free form hand pie thingies. With a knife, I cut two steam holes in the center...but when they came out of the oven, they look like a little heart. Ahhh...tart/pie love.

An apple, raisin, nut and spice applesauce is cooked on the stove and cooled. I skipped the nuts in the filling and tart dough, but didn't miss it. I could eat this applesauce all day long. I made the crust dough by hand...yes, those white pieces are butter. I made 1/2 the tart dough so that made two little tarty pies.


This is like a grown up and much more delicious version of a McDonald's apple pie! :)

Check out the other Tuesdays with Dorie bakers and see their creations...and to see how it is supposed to be made in a tart shell!

Recipe:
Jeanette of  The Whimsical Cupcake blog,
or, Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours (page 306)

American Airlines Fortune Cookie Promotion

American Airline's stupid and annoying Fortune Cookie

My co-worker and I went across the street to a local Chinese restaurant for the $5.99 lunch special. After my cup of hot and sour soup and chicken chow mein...the waitress brought the check and two fortune cookies. (BTW, did you know that fortune cookies were developed in California? It's disputed who invented them but they were definitely popularized in America.)

I opened it and get this message.

WTH?!

The other side of American Airline's stupid and annoying Fortune Cookie

Then I flip it over thinking my fortune would be on the other side and get this stupid message!

WTH?!

Where's my fortune? How am I supposed to plan my day?! ;) I need to know my winning lotto numbers (never play, but I want to know what could bring me riches) and if "you will see a long lost friend today." I felt totally ripped off.

And, yes, I went to the AA website and typed in my code. I wasn't a winner and still didn't get a fortune.

Hey, American Airlines, this promotion? It sucks.

I tweeted this cell phone picture and learned that several others got this message (I think this might be a Los Angeles thing because they are promoting flights from LAX). And, we all don't have tender feelings for you, American Airlines for stealing our fortunes (Oops, I was almost used the word hijacked but that would have been bad.)

Thanks for listening to me vent...I'm going back to baking now. ;) - mary the food librarian

Vegan Chocolate Banana Muffins

Vegan Chocolate Banana Muffins

I woke up Saturday and wanted to bake something for the library (yeah, most days are like this). Working on Saturdays isn't always the most fun...especially when it's 85 degrees outside and the A/C in the library is broken.

However, I opened the refrig and realized I was out of eggs. What?! Out of eggs? What kind of baker am I? Anyway, I didn't find any eggs, but I did find some old bananas.


So, I searched for a vegan recipe and found Love and Olive Oil's Chocolate Banana Cupcakes. Her recipe has a frosting, but I skipped that so I'm calling them muffins.


The recipe includes coconut milk, banana, cocoa powder and a bit of cinnamon. I doubled the amount of cinnamon because I love it.

Quick and easy to make...the resulting muffin is moist. If you are vegan or don't find any eggs in your refrig, give these a try!


Recipe:
Love and Olive Oil's Chocolate Banana Cupcakes
Notes:
1. I used 1/4 t cinnamon instead of 1/8.
2. I did not make the frosting.
3. I used Callebaut Dutch processed cocoa powder.
4. I overfilled my muffin tins and got 10 muffins. Baked for 24 minutes. Next time, I will definitely shoot for 12 muffins!

Library Staff Giveaway!! National Library Week Bonus!

Library Staff Only Giveaway!

Happy National Library Week Librarians and Library staff!

To celebrate National Library Week and say thanks for all the wonderful and hard working librarians & library staff, I'm having a giveaway open to current library staff and current library students! You need to be working at a library or in a graduate program right now to enter.

Prize: $25 Amazon gift card for one lucky winner!

This giveaway is only open to current library staff or graduate library school students! To enter, just leave a comment on this post. (If you want, tell me what type of library you work at or general location...or anything else you want!) If your email isn’t associated with your Blogger account, please be sure to leave your email in the message.
Note: This giveaway is limited to current librarians, library staff and library school students. One winner will be picked at random using Random.org.
Deadline: Wednesday, April 20, 2011 at midnight, Pacific Daylight Time
Disclosure: This giveaway is paid for by me.
*** Updated: Contest is closed. Congrats to Erin (entry #30) ***
I'm not going to ask for your library badge, pay stubs, or quiz you about the Dewey or LC classification system, so be honest and only enter if you are currently working at a library right now. And if you cheat and toss everything your mom taught you in the gutter...know that karma will make every single library book you ever check out mysteriously get lost or damaged, and you'll somehow manage to rack up fines that may ruin your credit. Just sayin'.

WorldCat Chocolate Eclairs - National Library Week Day 5

Chocolate filled Eclairs with Vanilla Bean Glaze

 

Whew! It's the end of my celebration of National Library Week 2011! This week, I’m highlighting a library thing, baking something and giving something away. Thanks for joining me in the celebration of libraries and librarians!

Today's library, baking, and giveaway are linked in a crazy synergy... I baked this week's French Fridays with Dorie, Chocolate Eclairs. But I made them in the shape of the WorldCat Logo, and I'm giving away a copy of the Dorie Greenspan book!

The Library Thing:   
WorldCat. No, not a worldly feline, but a totally cool online union catalog of a gazillion items from a ton of libraries. WorldCat's currents stats are here - 72,000 libraries and 1.7 billion records. You can see if your local library has a title or if it's only in a library in Australia; you can then go to your library to start an Interlibrary Loan to get books from all over the world. Pretty nifty, huh? I use WorldCat all the time. Give WorldCat a try on your computer or with their mobile app.

The Baking Thing:
I belong to two baking/cooking groups: Tuesdays with Dorie and French Fridays with Dorie. This week, the French Fridays with Dorie group made Vanilla Eclairs from Dorie Greenspan's cookbook Around my French Table.

I've made cream puffs with pastry cream in the past, but never eclairs. Eclairs use the same cream puff dough, but piped into logs and glazed. I made mine into the WorldCat logo and tinted the glaze with food coloring (Thanks JustJenn for letting me borrow your dyes!) Chocolate pastry cream filled my eclairs. Since my eclairs were mini, I piped in the cream and didn't split the eclairs.

Be sure to check out my fellow French Fridays with Dorie members and see their creations!

Recipe:

Please note: French Fridays with Dorie will not be posting recipes. Please support Dorie and purchase the book or find it at your library (WorldCat Link!!!)....or win one from me!

The Giveaway Thing:

Day #5: I'm giving away the lovely Dorie Greenspan's book, Around my French Table! (Although French Friday with Dorie members have the book...a second copy makes a great gift! Believe me...I received mine as a birthday gift!) Have you seen this month's Oprah magazine? There is a wonderful article about the Dorie baking groups! Read it online here.

To enter, just leave a comment on this post. If your email isn’t associated with your Blogger account, please be sure to leave your email in the message.
Note: This giveaway is limited to United States mailing addresses. One winner picked at random.
Deadline: Wednesday, April 20, 2011 at midnight, Pacific Daylight Time
Disclosure: This giveaway and shipping is paid for by me.
*** Updated: Contest is closed. Congrats to Frannie (entry #35) ***
Don't forget to enter the Day #1 (Sarabeth Bakery Cookbook) and Day #2 (Crate & Barrel Ramekins) and Day #3 (Everyday Food magazine) and Day #4 (Silpat) giveaways!

Thanks for celebrating National Library Week with me! See you at the library! - mary the food librarian

Chocolate Chip Espresso Scones - National Library Week Day #4

Chocolate Chip Espresso Scones

Yippee! It's National Library Week! Every day, I’m highlighting a library thing, baking something and giving something away. It has been so inspiring to read your comments about your local library and your sweet memories of librarians. I hope you take some time to recognize the awesome information professionals in your life!

The Library Thing:   
Yesterday, I was the Food Librarian Fairy and delivered assorted baked goods to friends at two different special libraries. What's a special library? Special Libraries include, but are not limited to, corporate, museum, law, newspaper, medical, and private company libraries. These librarians can get data out of Lexis Nexis faster than anyone, and help you find a treasure in a museum's special collection. When you think of librarians...don't just think storytime. Think way beyond that...to someone with a law degree, PhD or a medical background in addition to a Master's degree in library science or information studies. In short, special librarians are special!

The Baking Thing:
What else?! Scones!! I think scones are the best! They quickly come together and you can make them in one big bowl and your little fingers. You can even make them the night before, pop in the freezer and bake off in the morning.

I really like the square scone because it is really easy to form and you can just go at it with a knife or bench scraper. Cream is brushed on top and sanding sugar or raw sugar is sprinkled on top. I used mini chocolate chips because you get a bit of chocolate in every bite!

Recipe:

Chocolate Chip Espresso Scones

Printable recipe here
Adapted from Karen DeMasco's The Craft of Baking (Amazon or your library)

Scone:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips
1 Tablespoon instant espresso powder
1 teaspoon hot water
1 cup heavy cream

Topping:
2 Tablespoons heavy cream
Sanding sugar or Turbinado sugar

Note: The cookbook's instruction include using a KitchenAid with paddle attachment. I made my scones by hand. Please get this lovely cookbook The Craft of Baking and see page 24 for the chef's instructions.
1. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Add the butter pieces to the bowl. Place the bowl in the freezer for 5 minutes.
2. In a measuring cup, mix espresso powder with 1 teaspoon hot water. Mix to dissolve. Add 1 cup cold cream and combine together.
3. Remove bowl from freezer. Using your hands or a pastry cutter, cut in butter until it is pea size.
4. Toss in chocolate chips.
5. Pour the espresso-cream mixture over the flour mixture and blend with your hands or a spatula until dough just comes together.
6. Remove dough onto floured surface. Gently knead a couple times, but don't overmix. Form into a circle for wedges or a square, about 3/4 to 1 inch thick.
7. Place the pieces on a baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap. Freeze for 15 minutes, or chill for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
8. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
9. Brush scones with cream and sprinkle with course sugar.
10. Bake scones until edges and bottom are golden and they are firm to the touch, about 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
11. Enjoy!

The Giveaway Thing:

Day #4: I'm giving away a Silpat. You know, the wonder baking sheet liner. It's great for making most everything...everything just peels off. And if you aren't a big baker, this is great when making savory things like roasted sweet potato fries. Oh yes Silpat, you are kitchen treasure. The Silpat is "half-sheet" size.

To enter, just leave a comment on this post. If your email isn’t associated with your Blogger account, please be sure to leave your email in the message.
Note: This giveaway is limited to United States mailing addresses.
Deadline: Wednesday, April 20, 2011 at midnight, Pacific Daylight Time
Disclosure: This giveaway and shipping is paid for by me.
*** Updated: Contest is closed. Congrats to Jen (entry #56) ***
Don't forget to enter the Day #1 (Sarabeth Bakery Cookbook) and Day #2 (Crate & Barrel Ramekins) and Day #3 (Everyday Food magazine) giveaways!

And, if you are currently working in a library or in library school...come back tomorrow for a special giveaway just for you. :) Happy National Library Week!

Orange Creamsicle Jello - National Library Week Day #3

Orange Creamsicle Jello

Yippee! It's National Library Week! Every day, I’m highlighting a library thing, baking something and giving something away. Today is Day 3 and we are all about the Jello, childhood memories, and free audiobooks & eBooks!

The Library Thing:

Sometimes, you don't have to even walk into the library to grab a book or audiobook! You may be able to download audiobooks and eBooks from your library while in your pajamas. More and more libraries are offering free downloadable books. One of the largest providers is OverDrive and you can download books to almost anything…except a Kindle (Amazon’s economic model is to have you buy books from them). You can transfer to a Barnes & Noble Nook or Sony Reader, and OverDrive has apps for the iPhone, iPad, Android and Blackberries…yes, you can read the latest Michael Connelly while waiting in line at the grocery store! And for those who always have late fees on print books, this is perfect for you... there are no late fees…titles automatically expire! Ask your library if they provide downloadable media!

The Baking Thing:

As a kid, my mom would drive my brother and me through a local "dairy". No, there weren't any animals, but it was the original drive-thru. My mom would pull up the stationwagon and a guy would come to window and take our order. He would grab it from the shelves and refrigerator (mostly milk and Wonder bread) and sometimes, if we were really lucky, my mom would buy us ice cream. I loved the Orange Creamsicle. I would carefully eat the outside to expose the vanilla center before eating that. So, today's treat is a Creamsicle in Jello form!

This is beyond easy to make. Seriously. I mean, it's Jello and Cool Whip. Together. It magically separates as it chills. You can make this tonight and have some happy friends tomorrow. As with all my jello desserts, this was way popular in the library.

Recipe:

Orange Creamsicle Jello

2 cups boiling water
1 large box Orange Jello (6 ounces) or 2 small boxes (3 ounces each)
½ cup cold water
2 cups Cool Whip (about 75%-80% of a carton of Cool Whip), thawed
8” square pan

1. Place contents of orange Jello packet in a large bowl. Add 2 cups boiling water. Stir until completely dissolved.
2. Add ½ cup cold water.
3. Stir in 2 cups (about 75-80% of the basic Cool Whip carton) of Cool Whip. It will melt and dissolve. The mixture will be opaque. It will separate into a two layer Jello as it chills.
4. Pour into 8” square pan.
5. Chill until firm (preferably overnight).
6. Cut into squares. I cut 6 x 6 for 36 squares.

The Giveaway Thing:

Day #3: I'm giving away a one-year subscription to Everyday Food. I really enjoy this magazine and thought you might want a copy as well!
To enter, just leave a comment on this post. If your email isn’t associated with your Blogger account, please be sure to leave your email in the message.
Note: This giveaway is limited to United States mailing addresses.
Deadline: Wednesday, April 20, 2011 at midnight, Pacific Daylight Time
Disclosure: This giveaway is paid for by me.
*** Updated: Contest is closed. Congrats to Susan (entry #71) ***
Don't forget to enter the Day #1 (Sarabeth Bakery Cookbook) and Day #2 (Crate & Barrel Ramekins). By the way, thanks to all those who came to the poor rhubarb's defense yesterday! :) I will definitely give it another try...

And, if you are currently working in a library or in library school...stay tuned this week for a special giveaway just for you. :) Happy National Library Week! Libraries, librarians and library staff rock!

Double Strawberry Crisp - National Library Week Day #2

Double Strawberry Crisp

Whooooo Hoo!! It's National Library Week!! This is my third year celebrating NLW on the blog. Every day, I’m highlighting a library thing, baking something and giving something away.We're on Day 2 and it's a twofer: National Library Week and my baking group, Tuesdays with Dorie

The Library Thing:

Tuesdays with Dorie and French Fridays with Dorie are two baking and cooking groups I belong to...always a lot of fun! Have you checked out your local library for book clubs, knitting club, genealogy group, or a chess club? Libraries have a lot programs for children, teens and adults...even some "Renaissance" programs for older adults. I've seen sushi making demonstrations, scrapbooking, and lots of ways to get your creative juices going. Stop by today and see what's up at your library!

The Baking Thing:

For this week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection, Sarah of Teapots and Cakestands chose Strawberry Rhubarb Double Crisp on pages 420 and 421of Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours.
Tuesdays with Dorie is a weekly baking group where we are making one recipe per week from Dorie Greenspan's fabulous cookbook. Have you seen the latest Oprah magazine?!?! There is a whole article about the Dorie and the group with lots of quotes by some of my favorite members!

I had this crisp for dinner. Don't judge. It had fruit and oats and ginger...those things are all very good for you. Actually, there is only a little butter in this!

Dorie's recipe makes a square pan of this crisp, but I quartered the recipe and made two cute ramekins. The crisp topping is placed on the bottom (pressed in like a crust) and layered on top. The strawberries are brought to a boil with sugar and a cornstarch slurry is added to thicken the mixture. I really like this idea because then the strawberries doesn't end up all watery in your crisp. Oh that Dorie...genius! I also liberally added the ginger (ground and crystallized) because I absolutely love ginger.

I skipped the rhubarb. With apologizes to the Rhubarb Commission and home growers of the celery-like stalk, I don't understand Rhubarb. I joke that rhubarb is for people who can't grow real fruit near them! :) I live in Southern California with access to tons of real fruit and I didn't grow up cooking or eating rhubarb, nobody grows it around here, and I kinda think it's only a sugar delivery device. Thus, no rhubarb, but some beautiful California strawberries I picked up at the Farmer's Market!

This crisp is LOVELY. It would be even better with some vanilla ice cream, but it was perfect warm out of the oven. Definitely make some this strawberry season. And don't forget to check out the other Tuesdays with Dorie bakers and see their creations!

The Giveaway Thing:

Day #2: I'm giving away four Crate & Barrel "Stockholm" ramekins! You can make your own crisp in these stylish ramekins!

To enter, just leave a comment on this post. If your email isn’t associated with your Blogger account, please be sure to leave your email in the message.
Note: This giveaway is limited to United States mailing addresses.
Deadline: Wednesday, April 20, 2011 at midnight, Pacific Daylight Time. One winner picked at random.
Disclosure: This giveaway and shipping is paid for by me.
*** Updated: Contest is closed. Congrats to Spike (entry #77) ***
Don't forget you can still enter yesterday's Day #1 Giveaway! And come back tomorrow for another National Library Week giveaway!

Recipe:
Sarah of Teapots and Cakestands blog,
or, Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours (page 420) (Amazon or your library)