Coffee & Walnut Bread [Coffee: 100 Everyday Recipes]

I want to preface this recipe from the coffee cookbook with the warning that I have genuinely never baked bread from scratch before. However, since the whole point of this blog is that these recipes should work out, I'm putting my trust in the cookbook. As a precaution, I made sure to crank the heat in my place, since I normally like to keep it cool and I know that's not great for yeast.

Cookbook Recipe:

Ingredients:

• vegetable oil, for greasing
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1 2/3 cups white flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp active dry yeast
• 3/4 cup walnuts, chopped coarsely
• 1 1/4 cups lukewarm water
• 1 tbsp instant coffee
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp honey

Following the cookbook recipe exactly:

1. Grease a baking sheet. In one bowl, mix the flour, salt, yeast, and walnuts, making a well in the centre. In another bowl, mix the water, coffee, olive oil, and honey. Pour the liquid into the flour and mix with a knife until soft and sticky. (Not sure why the recipe specifies a knife to mix it with, but I went with a butterknife.)

2. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 5-7 minutes. (As seen later, this is the crux of the problem with this recipe.) Put the dough in a bowl, cover with oiled plastic wrap, and place in a warm place for an hour or until doubled in size.

After the second rising. I mean, it kinda worked!

3. Turn the dough out again onto a floured surface, and knead for 1 minute. Shape into an 8-inch long oval and place on the baking sheet. Dust with flour and slash a curve off-centre along the loaf. Let rest (they don't specify covered or uncovered) for 40-50 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400F.

That is definitely bread!

4. Bake for 18-20 minutes until golden brown and "the bottom sounds hollow when tapped with your knuckles". Cool on a wire rack.

The Outcome:

Hey, I made bread! However, this bread is way too dense. I googled around to see if it was something I had done, but it turns out that the problem is the recipe - 5-7 minutes is half the time bread really should be kneaded (though there's plenty of conflicting arguments). It still tastes pretty delicious, though I don't think the coffee adds much except a bit of colouring.  I do want to try this again and knead it longer to see if that will make it into a lighter, fluffier loaf. But hey, it's distinctly and clearly bread, and I made from scratch!

Cheesy Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes [What's Cooking: Festive '12]

The last recipe from Kraft's 2012 Holiday season What's Cooking Magazine is what looks like a reasonably straightforward mashed potato recipe - the catch being that it's meant to be made ahead and then reheated instead of eaten straight out of the pot while being told to leave some for the rest of the guests.

Cookbook Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes (about 6)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup shredded old cheddar cheese (being a branded recipe, they wanted Cracked Barrel but since there's literally no difference, I went for the brand I already had in the fridge)
• 1/4 cup Miracle Whip
• 1 green onion, sliced

Following the cookbook recipe exactly:

1. Peel the potatoes and cut into chunks. Boil in a large pot 15-20 minutes, until tender.

2. Mash potatoes, then stir in the milk, cheese, Miracle Whip, and green onion.

3. Refrigerate until ready to serve, then spoon into a microwaveable bowl and microwave on High 5-7 minutes, until heated through, stirring occasionally. (This is presumably for the entire dish).

The Outcome:

I really like mashed potatoes, but I  normally make it with just milk and butter. I tasted this three ways - hot out of the pot, cold from the fridge, and microwaved after cooling as the recipe suggested. Hot out of the pot, the combination of the Miracle Whip and the fresh green onion gave it a flavour similar to potato salad. It was also distinctly smooth and creamy, and generally pretty nice. Eating it cold out of the fridge was, well, cold mashed potatoes. I like cold mashed potatoes. However, reheating it according to the recipe gives you something distinctly different from hot out of the pot - the green onion has lost most of its flavour by then, and the texture turns into something almost too creamy and liquid. It wouldn't be able to hold a gravy pool like this, which is clearly a serious problem when it comes to mashed potatoes!

Reindeer Munch [What's Cooking: Festive '12]

This is apparently the "holiday name" for a snack called "puppy chow" that's really popular in the States. All the elements seem pretty sound, but this is the first recipe from this edition of Kraft's What's Cooking that didn't really follow through. Let's just say, eight cups is a lot of cereal.

Cookbook Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter (since it's a branded recipe, they wanted Kraft brand, but there's literally no difference between Kraft and the brand I already had in my cupboard, so I'm going to defend this non-substitution)
• 4 squares Baker's Semi-Sweet chocolate
• 8 cups "bite-size crispy rice cereal squares" (this is where I wish there had been branding because that's such an oddly specific cereal request. I used rice-based Chex, since that fits the description)
• 1/2 cup icing sugar

Following the cookbook recipe exactly:

1. In a large, microwaveable bowl, nuke the peanut butter and chocolate on medium for 2 minutes. Stir until blended.

2. Add the cereal and toss to coat. Here's where the problem comes in for this recipe - 8 cups is a massive amount of cereal, and there's just not enough chocolate/peanut butter mix to coat everything completely.

3. Spread the mix on wax or parchment paper covered baking sheets and let cool.

4. Place in a large resealable plastic bag or paper bag with the icing sugar. Close the bag and shake to coat.

The Outcome:

The picture in the cookbook shows cereal that looks like it's been dipped in chocolate instead of just a slight dusting. The actual outcome is still pretty good, but it tastes more like I'm just eating dry chocolate frosted cereal (I should try putting milk in the bowl and see how it goes). The portions here seem off, maybe using half the cereal would make it more into a dessert instead of just an amped up cereal. I mean, it's still tasty, but that's because you're essentially just adding sugar and chocolate to something that's already "breakfast dessert".

Wagon Wheel-Chili Skillet [What's Cooking: Festive '12]

Ok, I had to make a substitution with this recipe from Kraft's 2012 What's Cooking edition, and while it makes no difference in terms of how the recipe comes together, it does make the name of the recipe moot. Let's just pretend the "wagon wheel" refers to the "quasi-western" flavours, and not for the pasta shape.

Cookbook Recipe:

Yeah, ground beef costs that much here.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb (450g) extra lean ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 green pepper, chopped (they didn't specify what kind, so I went for an Anaheim)
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 cup salsa (again, they didn't specify heat level, so I went for my default - hot)
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 3 cups wagon wheel pasta, uncooked (I genuinely could not find wagon wheel pasta. I haven't seen it in grocery stores anywhere in years - so I went with penne because it's still thick and shaped pasta)
• 1/4 cup Cheez Whiz Jalapeno Tex Mex Cheese Spread (the mandatory branded ingredient here, but at least it's a unique one.)

Following the cookbook recipe exactly:

1. Cook the pasta as directed, but without salt.

2. Brown the meat, onions, and garlic in a large skillet on medium.

3. Stir in the pepper (the recipe says "peppers" but there's only one?), corn, salsa, and chili powder. Bring to a boil, cover, simmer on medium-low for 10 mins, stirring occasionally.

I don't think it's actually legal to call Cheez Whiz "cheese" in Canada.

4. Remove from heat, stir in the Cheez Whiz (which is laughably called "cheese" in the recipe) until melted. Stir in the pasta.

The Outcome:

This is definitely pretty good - it's warm and filling, very hearty for the winter. However, it feels like it's missing something, something to make it really zing. It's not very spicy, despite using hot salsa (the recipe is specifically meant for the larger Canadian market, so that's not surprising). I should have grabbed a Serrano for my "green pepper". I can't really put my finger on what this recipe needs - something to offset the very slight cloying touch of Cheez Whiz. It's still pretty tasty, though, and it seems like the kind of thing that would go down really well at a potluck or with children.

Chocolate-Marbled Banana Bread [What's Cooking: Festive '12]

I like banana bread, and I like chocolate, so I'm down for What's Cooking's Kraft-branded recipe. I don't normally eat mayo, so its seems a bit odd to put it in what is essentially a type of cake (sorry, not "mayo" - "Miracle Whip dressing spread") but I can see it working. Between following the recipe exactly plus the double boiler, this recipe uses a LOT of mixing bowls.

Cookbook Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup Miracle Whip
• 1 1/3 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3)
• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 squares Baker's Semi-Sweet chocolate, melted (I always find an impromptu double boiler of putting the chocolate in a small bowl inside a bigger bowl of boiling water works easiest)

Following the cookbook recipe exactly:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Beat the egg, bananas, and Miracle Whip with a whisk until blended.

2. In another bowl, mix the remaining ingredients except for the chocolate. Add to the banana mix and stir until "just moistened". Pour half the mix into a bowl and stir in the melted chocolate.

Dat swirl tho

3. Spoon the batters alternately into a greased 8x4 inch loaf pan. With a knife, gently swirl the batter. Bake for 1 hour - 1 hour and 5 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.

4. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack and cool completely.

The Outcome:

This is pretty good banana bread - I really like the chocolate addition. The cool swirl pattern is lost a bit when baked, but it still looks neat. I was worried it would be too sweet (American baking recipes usually use too much sugar for my taste), but it tastes pretty decent. The only issue I have is that the outside was a bit too cooked - not burnt, but starting to head down that path, and gives a noticeably harder crust that tastes a bit strong. That can possibly be fixed by playing with different oven temperatures and cooking times.

Mushroom & Snow Pea Sauté [What's Cooking: Festive '12]

Well, since it's January and I'm sick to the gills of heavy holiday food, I'm going to start this What's Cooking edition with a lighter recipe. This is one is a three-ingredient recipe that's meant to be quick and basic and reasonably healthy. The idea of using salad dressing as a cooking sauce is not a bad one, even if the execution here isn't amazing.

Cookbook Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp Kraft Calorie-Wise Sun-Dried Tomato & Oregano Dressing (I havered over going for the branded products but they had it in my grocery store, and, well, I guess it counts as going for the exact recipe)
• 4 cup quartered fresh mushrooms (oddly, they did not specify what kind or size)
• 1 1/2 cups snow peas, halved crosswise

Following the cookbook exactly:

1. Heat 2 tbsp of the dressing in a skillet on medium-high. Saute the mushrooms for 2-3 minutes until lightly browned.

2. Add the remaining tbsp of dressing and the snow peas and saute for 2 minutes.

The Outcome:

The upside here is that the dressing does work really well as a cooking medium, though it smells exactly like cheap pizza sauce. The downside is that the mushrooms aren't fully cooked - they're whatever the mushroom equivalent of al dente is. They're definitely not raw but they retain a bit of not-quite-cooked texture. The dish is also, well, not bland but ... straightforward. The flavours work together but they don't make me go "wow!". Adding the suggested splash of lemon juice makes it pop a bit, but if I was going to make this again, I'd cook the mushrooms a few minutes longer and maybe add something spicy to make it really zing. It's not a bad recipe but it could definitely be improved without sacrificing ease or calories.

Corn Bread with Radish (Makkai ki Roti) [Classic Indian Vegetarian and Grain Cooking]

This cornstarch roti from the Indian Vegetarian cookbook is one of those recipes where I kept on saying "that can't be right, that's not going to work, this is clearly the wrong texture", and yet, I'm glad I stuck with it exactly, because it turned out actually pretty well!

Cookbook Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup packed grated daikon radish (don't press the water out of it)
• 1/2 tsp coarse salt
• 1 cup "fine ground corn flour" (this is the British term for cornstarch)
• 5 tbsp water
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter

Following the cookbook recipe exactly:

Is it supposed to be this soupy? It still works, though.

1. In a bowl, mix the radish and salt. Add the cornstarch and mix well with your fingers, pressing the water out of the radish. Add the water 1 tbsp at a time, mixing well. The "dough" turns pretty soupy at this point, and it's kind of hard to "divide it into 8" when it's mostly liquid.

2. Cut 9x9 inch pieces of wax paper and have a bowl of water handy to wet fingers. Spread an eight of the dough into a thin 5 inch round circle on the wax paper.

Again, it shouldn't work, but it does.

3. Heat a frying pan over medium for 3 minutes. Carefully flip the round onto the griddle with the paper still attached and peel the wax paper off. Cook on one side for 3 minutes, the other side for 2.

4. Add 1 1/2 tsp butter and fry the bread for 1 minute on each side. Repeat for the rest of the batch.

The Outcome:

This actually works! I was expecting it to be a runny mess, but as soon as it hit the heat, it came together into a solid roti. It fried up nicely, and I really liked the slightly glutenous texture from the cornstarch. My only problem is that most of the water evaporates in the first few minutes, so one side stays a bit harder and paste-white. Frying it in the butter helps brown it a bit.

Low-Calorie Papaya Drink (Papeeta Lassi) [Classic Indian Vegetarian and Grain Cooking]

Papaya isn't a flavour of lassi that I've come across too often (mango or yogurt seem to be the standard), so this looks interesting - especially with nutmeg added to the mix. This recipe does make me think - if this is "low calorie" for a lassi, how many calories are in a regular one?

Cookbook Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 "overflowing" cup of papaya flesh, in 1/2 inch to 3/4 piece pieces (pretty much exactly half of a small papaya)
• 3/4 cup low fat buttermilk
• 2 tbsp honey or sugar
• 1/4 tsp coarse salt
• pinch of nutmeg
• 1/4 cup water
• 4 "standard size" ice cubes

Following the cookbook recipe exactly:

1. In a blender, mix the papaya, buttermilk, honey, salt, and nutmeg. The cookbook calls for you to blend it for 1 1/2 minutes or until thoroughly blended, this cookbook is 30 years old, a modern blender will have that done in a few seconds.

2. Add water and ice and blend until frothy. The cookbook warns the ice cubes won't disintegrate fully, but they did in my blender.

The Outcome:

This is a really good lassi - papaya isn't a flavour that gets used too often, but it's nice and subtle. The nutmeg really makes this recipe - it goes well with the papaya and keeps the lassi from being too cloying. While I'm sure this is healthier than a normal lassi, I still wouldn't count it as health food. It definitely doesn't taste watered down!

Cracked Wheat Porridge with Almonds and Apricots (Dalia) [Classic Indian Vegetarian and Grain Cooking]

The vegetarian Indian cookbook seems to lean heavily towards northern Indian dishes, including this bulgur breakfast porridge from along the Pakistani border. This recipe is definitely a lesson in making sure things don't burn - get ready for a lot of stirring!

Cookbook Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons sweet butter (this isn't clearly explained in the cookbook, but it's meant to be normal butter, as opposed to salted butter or ghee)
• 1 cup bulgur wheat 
• 3 1/2 cups milk
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup dried apricots, cut small
• 3 tbsp jaggery or honey
• 1/2 cup blanched sliced almonds, toasted (dry toast them in a pan)
• scalded milk and jaggery/honey on the side

Following the cookbook recipe exactly:

1. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the bulgur and fry in the butter over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes until browned. The recipe says "stir often", and they do mean often, since after the 5 minute mark there's a good chance the wheat will burn if you let it sit too long.

2. Add the water, 2 cups of the milk, and the apricots - bring to a boil. Lower head and simmer for 15 minutes uncovered, stirring often. Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let sit for 10 minutes.

3. Add in the rest of the milk, the honey/jaggery, and mix well over low heat to warm it back up. Top with the nuts and serve with extra milk and sweetener on the side.

The Outcome:

This is a mildly sweet, milky porridge. It's pretty good - toasting both the almonds and browning the bulgur means that it has a nice nutty taste. You lose a lot of the apricot flavour from the boiling, however - if I made this again, I'd probably add in the apricots later. I'm not entirely sure about the texture, adding in the extra milk makes it very soupy and since this dish is new to me, I'm not sure if it's meant to be like this - it really didn't need any extra milk added to it. I do want to rustle up some jaggery and see if that changes the flavour compared to honey. Maple syrup would also work really well as a topping for this.