Apple Feta Porkchops

I was supposed to help my dad move some furniture and antiques around today, but when I woke up nobody was home. I assumed it was because of the rain. With the afternoon free and a package of pork chops thawing in the fridge, I thought I might as well make something special for my parents by the time they came home. It's fall time, so something with a nice, warm flavor sounded like the best thing to make. A few apples, some nice feta cheese, a dash of brown sugar and BOOM, delicious fall inspired pork chops, from me to you.

Adapted from AllRecipes

Ingredients:

• 8 medium sized Pork Chops (3/4 inch thick)
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 4 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons Salted Butter
• 3 Ida Red Apples - cored, peeled, and sliced
• 1/2 Onion, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon Garic Powder per Porkchop
• 1/4 teaspoon Onion Powder per Porkchop
• 1 teaspoon Dried Basil per Porkchop
• 1 teaspoon Dried Rosemary per Porkchop
• 1/2 cup Feta Cheese
• 1/2 cup White Cooking Wine

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 175 degrees F (80 degrees C). Place a medium dish in the oven to warm.
• Heat a large skillet over a medium-high heat. Coat the skillet with a light layer of extra virgin olive oil. 
• As the oil is heating up, rub each pork chop with garlic powder, onion powder, dried basil, and dried rosemary. 
• Cook the pork chops for about 5-6 minutes. Transfer to the dish in the oven to keep warm.
• Deglaze the skillet with the white wine. 
• In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, salt, pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg. 
• When the skillet is deglazd, melt the butter and add the apples, onion, and brown sugar mixture. Cover and cook until the apples are just tender, stirring occasionally.
• Serve the pork chops over the apples and onions. Sprinkle with feta cheese and enjoy!

Gluten-Free Roasted Almond Biscotti

I play Dungeons and Dragons every single Monday (or at least the Mondays that will permit me to play DnD). It's a pretty fun game that helps me unwind from my busy school days.

Anyway, every game someone brings in some goodies. One of the people I play with, unfortunately, has a gluten allergy, and can't normally eat baked goods or chips we bring in. This week, I thought that I might as well make something delicious baked specially for him.

This recipe is pretty experimental. I have never heard of xanthan gum before today, let alone work with it. All my research sent me through loops, but they said as a basic rule to use about 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum per cup of flour substitute when baking cookies or cakes. Hopefully this will work for everyone at home the way it worked for me.

Anyway, here's the recipe!

Adapted from RealSimple

Ingredients:

For Roasted Almonds:

• 1 1/2  cups Almonds, halved or chunked
• 2 tablespoons of Salted Butter, melted
• 1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
• 1 tablespoon Cinnamon

For Biscotti:

• 2 3/4  cups Brown Rice Flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons Xanthan Gum
• 1 1/2  teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1 1/4 cups Granulated Sugar
• 1/2  cup  (1 stick) Unsalted Butter, melted
• 2 teaspoons Pure Almond Extract
• 3 Large Eggs

Directions:

For Roasting Almonds

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
• In a small bowl, mix the melted butter, sugar, and cinnamon together. 
• Dump the almonds in the bowl and mix until coated with the butter mixture.
• Lay the almonds out evenly on a baking sheet and bake them for 10-12 minutes, until the aroma of roasted almonds wafts out of the oven.
• Cool and set aside.

For Baking Biscotti

• In a medium bowl, whisk together the rice flour, salt, and xanthan gum.
• In a large bowl, mix the sugar, butter, and almond extract together until smooth. One at a time, beat in the eggs.
• Slowly mix in the flour mixture and almonds just until incorporated. Do not overmix
• Cover the dough and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
• Divide the dough in half and shape them into two, 2" x 12" logs, approximately 3/4 inch thick.
• Place them on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake until edges are golden and firm to the touch, about 25-30 minutes
• Let the loaves cool for 15 minutes
• With a serrated knife, cut each log in half lengthwise. Cut each log into either thirds or halves width-wise (depending on how big you want the biscotti; halves are traditional) 
• Arrange in a single layer on the baking sheet and bake for another 18-22 minutes, until crisp and dry.
• You can store them up to two weeks in an airtight container.

Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling

October is rapidly approaching, and that means one thing in the world of food. PUMPKIN. PUMPKIN EVERYTHING. Why not get a head start on pumpkin season with a little bundle of warmth and spice? These pumpkin muffins are absolutely delicious. The batter is moist, the filling is sweet, and topping is so crumbly you're gonna need a plate to eat it off of! This will be but one of many pumpkin recipes to come to Science and Cupcakes. Prepare yourself!

Recipe adapted from Annie's Eats

Ingredients:

For the filling:

• 4 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup Powdered Sugar 

For the muffins:

• 1 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
• 2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
• 1 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cloves
• 1 teaspoon of Cardamom
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 3/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 2 large Eggs
• 1 1/4 cups Sugar
• 1 cups Pumpkin Puree
• 3/4 cups Vegetable Oil
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

For the topping:

• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 5 tablespoons Flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
• 4 tablespoons Cold Unsalted Butter, cut into small pieces

Directions:

For Filling:

• Combine the cream cheese and sugar. Whisk until no lumps remain in the filling. 

For Topping:

• Sift the flour, sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl.
• Add the butter and cut into the dry ingredients with a fork. If working with the cold butter is too hard, you can work it with your hands. Cut/work until the mixture looks like coarse, wet sand. It's okay if there are a couple lumps. 

For Muffins:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
• In a medium sized bowl, mix together the flour, spices, baking powder, and salt. 
• In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, sugar, and eggs. 
• Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, just until combined. 
• Line a muffin pan with paper liners or grease with cooking spray. This recipe should make approximately 13-16 muffins. 
• Add a dollop (about a teaspoon) of muffin mixture to the bottom of each muffin. This should barely cover the bottom.
• Add a dollop (about a teaspoon) of cream cheese filling into each muffin. 
• Cover the filling with more muffin mixture. The muffins should be filled to about 2/3 to the top.
• Give a generous sprinkle of topping to each muffin. Don't be shy, the muffin top is the best part so you should give it as much flavor as possible.
• Bake for about 20-25 minutes. 
• Optional: Sprinkle each muffin with cinnamon 

Eggnog Cookies

Have you ever just had a sudden craving for something completely random and out of season? That was me all of last week. I couldn't stop thinking about eggnog. We don't drink it much in my house, not even around the holidays, but I absolutely love the smooth, creamy texture of eggnog. I was debating what would be better: make my own eggnog or make eggnog cookies. 

I'm still a little nervous around raw eggs. I'm not sure if I trust myself enough to make home made eggnog. Plus, what is eggnog without a little rum (which I am not actually able to obtain)? I thought that the best next thing was to make them cookie style.

I saw a Red Velvet Cookies with Eggnog Filling recipe on loveandoliveoil.com during last years Great Food Blogger Cookie Exchange, but I didn't want to hunt it down. Instead, I simply looked up an 'eggnog cookie' recipe and went to town. My recipe isn't much different from the original, but I'd still love to share with you my experiences with my cooking life. So, here we go!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup White Sugar
• 3/4 cup Butter, softened
• 1/2 cup Eggnog
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• 2 Egg Yolks
• 1 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg 
• 2 1/4 cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon of Ground Cinnamon

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 300 Degrees.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, eggnog, cinnamon, and nutmeg really quickly (just until incorporated)
• Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a separate, medium sized bowl
• In a larger, separate bowl, cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. 
• While mixing slowly, add half of the liquid mixture, then half of the flour mixture. Incorporate ingredients completely before adding the other half (liquid first, then solids). Do NOT overmix.
• Grease a cookie sheet and form small, one inch cookies, spacing them at least one inch apart. 
• Optional: Dust the cookies lightly with cinnamon and nutmeg
• Bake in the oven for about 25-30 minutes.

My cookies turned out nice and light at the end. The eggnog was not to overpowering, and was balanced well by the nutmeg and cinnamon. Absolutely delicious!

Spice is Nice Chili

Waking up late on a lazy Sunday afternoon is pretty fantastic. I wasn't planning on doing anything at all today, but unfortunately when I waddled my way downstairs I found a lovely note from my mother asking me to cook a little "hamburger something". I looked over at the oven to find a family sized pack of hamburger and a small package of pasta shells. I assumed that she wanted me to make some sort of goulash, but I didn't have nearly enough shells to make it properly. So, using my powers of intuition, and a good scavenge through my pantry, I found enough ingredients to make a nice, big pot of chili.

I find that, though chili is delicious in the summer, it's ideal to enjoy it in the fall. The rich, bold spices of chili can really compliment the brisk autumn weather. This particular chili recipe has more than enough to spice to really warm you up. Recipe adapted from Debdoozie's Blue Ribbon Chili

Ingredients:

• 4 lbs. Ground Beef
• 1 Onion, Diced
• 1 40.5oz Can of Red Kidney Beans
• 1 15.5oz Can of Black Beans
• 5 cups of Tomato Sauce
• 1/2 cup of All Purpose Flour
• 3 tablespoons of Chili Powder
• 2 tablespoons of Minced Garlic
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of Cumin
• 2 tablespoons of Sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of Black Pepper
• 1 teaspoon of White Pepper
• 1 tablespoon of Salt
• 2 tablespoons of Dried Basil
• 2 tablespoons of Onion Powder
• 2 tablespoons of Paprika 
• 2 teaspoons of Garlic Powder
• 1 tablespoon of Dried Parsley
• 2 tablespoons of Cayenne Pepper

Directions:

• Add the ground beef and the onions to a large saucepan and saute for about 15-20 minutes, or until the beef is browned and the onions are nice and tender. 
• Transfer to a large pot and add the sauce, beans, flour, sugar, herbs, and spices. When adding the beans try and drain out as much juice as possible 
• Simmer on medium low heat for at least an hour, stirring occasionally. 

Tips for adding the spices:

When I add spices to a dish, I don't measure them directly. I always go with what I think feels right. Whenever there is an imbalance, I just simply add more or less of one spice to fix it.

If you find that the dish is too spicy, add a little more sugar or sauce to neutralize the taste. If it's lacking spice, then add some more chili powder, red pepper, or paprika (depending on which spice you prefer more). 

Garlic and Onion Powder are a little more bitter. It's a good to add a little at a time and then add more as needed, rather than adding to much and regretting it.

"I'm a Chicken" Chicken

A while ago I was watching this fabulous show on Food Network called Aarti Party. It's an Indian inspired cooking show that incorporates elements from Aarti Sequeira's upbringing with Indian parents and lifestyle in America. The show itself was very lighthearted and made me feel at home while watching it.

The episode I watched featured a recipe called "I Ain't Chicken Chicken", which showcased a beautiful roasted chicken breast stuffed with a delicious zesty butter spread on a bed of roasted red potatoes. I just had to try it out for myself

Unfortunately, still being in high school and being dirt poor, I had to work with the ingredients in my house. I had chicken breasts, but they were skinless. The main idea of "I Ain't Chicken Chicken" was to really work the chicken with your hands, peeling back the skin and stuffing the butter spread inside. I chuckled to myself as I thawed the chicken and thought "I guess I must be a huge chicken then".

I find it funny that though I don't have chicken breasts with the skin still attached, I still have the other obscure spices that the recipe calls for, like cardamom and fresh thyme.

Working with the limited ingredients I had, I came to make my own fantastic recipe that I'd like to call "I'm a Chicken Chicken", based off of the original recipe you can find here.

I'm a Chicken Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1 lbs. small red new potatoes
• EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
• Kosher salt and ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup butter, softened but not melted
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 large orange, zested
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 4 skinless medium sized chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup sugar
• About a handful of garlic powder
• About a handful of dried basil 
• About a handful of dried rosemary

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees
• Cut the potatoes in to bite size chunks (1/6 - 1/8 pieces depending on the size)
• Put the potatoes in a small bowl and coat them with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Transfer them into a large casserole dish. Make room in the center of the potatoes for the chicken.
• Stir together butter, cardamom, orange, and ginger in a separate bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. 
• Coat the chicken with the butter spread. Sprinkle the sugar equally over the chicken and set in the middle of the casserole dish.
• Put the casserole in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes. 
• After thirty minutes, stir the potatoes and rotate the dish. Baste the chicken with the oil and melted butter that collected at the bottom of the casserole. Add the garlic powder, basil, and rosemary.
• Continue to bake until the chicken is done. To check if the chicken is done, poke the chicken with a fork. If the juices run clear, then the chicken is ready to eat. It should also have that nice golden brown color to it.

Here I go!

How exciting is to launch my very first food blog! I am definitely pumped to get baking and sharing delicious baked goods with the world. Unfortunately, my inexperience and consistent school work will impede my ability to post recipes. I will try my best to update as often as possible, because, let's face it, how long can you REALLY go without cupcakes? 

So, without further ado....

Here I go!