In the red

There's this little cupcake place that comes out of Beverly Hills called Sprinkles. My little sister, Christi, first introduced it to me, and since then, we haven't been able to stop talking about their Red Velvet cupcakes:  

Pretty much the best cupcakes I've ever had. And I'm not a cake lover, either. My roommate Linda bought the mix for me for Christmas from Williams-Sonoma, and I finally made them just recently. You can purchase it online or in-store for around $14. I know, fourteen-dollar cupcakes, right? Believe me, they're worth it. Or you can travel to Beverly Hills, Newport Beach, Dallas, Scottsdale, or Palo Alto to get them individually (but they're still not cheap!). Oh, and you may want to be forewarned: You will be seeing red in the kitchen for several days. Just make them and you'll see what I mean!

Happy Spring!

A chili March day

[Edit: I usually only make half a recipe, so that's why I was able to use a shallow pan as in the following picture:]

This week was an abnormally dark and dreary one in San Antonio. The best sort of remedy to cure the glooms and chills? "Chil"-i. Get it? Ha. Well, at least Linda thought it was funny.

In all seriousness, this is one of my favorite recipes which I stole from Food Network's Rachael Ray. I've made it over and over again and haven't gotten bored with it (which is easy for me to do). It's a one-pot wonder--i.e., you don't have to dirty a million dishes for this one. And it's tasty, fast, and satisfying. It also goes with everything.

Here's the recipe (sorry I'm short on words today--I'm late getting this post out, so I wanted to do it, but it's also time for bed):

This is the way I ate it this week--oven fries on the side, sour cream, cheese, and green onions on the top. I've also eaten this with corn fritter toppers, tortilla chips (my roommate Linda's favorite), or just plain. It's good any way you eat it, and you can adjust the seasonings to suit your taste. I don't measure anything exactly; I use Rachael's "measurement" methods and also add more of whatever I think needs adding at the end. It comes out different every time, which is just the way I like it.

Indian Summer Turkey Chili

Adapted from a recipe by 30-Minute Meal Queen Rachael Ray

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan

2 1/2 pounds lean ground turkey (or other lean ground meat)

4 tablespoons dark chili powder, 2 palm fulls

2 tablespoons grill seasoning blend, 1 palm full

1 tablespoon cumin, 1/2 palm full

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (or however you say it)

1 to 3 tablespoons hot sauce, whatever your heat tolerance is

1 large onion, chopped

2 large bell peppers, any color combination, chopped

1 cup chicken broth

1 (14-ounce) can tomato sauce

1/2 cup smoky barbecue sauce

2 cups corn kernels, optional (I never put these in because I never have them, but you can if you want. You could also add the beans of your choice if you like beans in your chili.)

Heat a pot over medium to medium high heat. Add EVOO, 3 turns of the pan, and the turkey meat. Season the meat with chili powder, grill seasoning, cumin, Worcestershire, and hot sauce. Break up the meat into small crumbles or chunks.

Brown meat 5 minutes, then add onions and chopped bell peppers and cook 10 minutes more. Add broth and deglaze the pan, scraping up drippings. Add tomato sauce and barbecue sauce and bring to a bubble. If using corn kernels and/or beans, add them now. Let chili simmer 10 minutes. Adjust seasonings and heat level to your taste. Remove from heat and serve.

Serves 8-10

It's not easy being green...

[Edit: I forgot to mention that the author of this recipe suggests using leftover lemon-chive cream as a dip for potato chips. I highly recommend it myself! Yum!]

Unless, of course, you're broccoli soup. Or making broccoli soup. I found this to be the case with a simple, flavorful recipe for Broccoli Soup with Lemon-Chive Cream, which I got from my favorite food blog (I mean besides mine), Orangette by Molly Wizenberg, who also writes a column for Bon Appetit and just had a book published.

Yesterday, I decided I wanted something light, simple, and interesting for dinner, so I tried this. It turned out to be just that and more: the lemon-chive cream really gave the soup a unique depth of flavor that I have never tasted before. Of course, I still love my mom's classic broccoli soup, as I love all things that remind me of home, but this was really great for something different, something new, something interesting, and... something green. Enjoy.

Broccoli Soup with Lemon-Chive Cream

Recipe courtesy Molly Wizenberg

The soup:

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1 Tbsp. olive oil

2 medium leeks, white and tender green parts only, sliced

1 small yellow onion, coarsely chopped

3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

1 1/2 lb. broccoli, both crowns and stems, trimmed and coarsely chopped

5 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1 rind (about 2 inches square) from a piece of Parmesan cheese (absolutely necessary for adding flavor to the soup--I found some rinds sold separately at the market specifically for this purpose)

1/4 tsp. kosher salt, or less if the broth is well-salted

The cream (amazing!--this really makes the soup):

1 cup sour cream (can't be low- or non-fat)

2 scallions, white and pale green parts only, very thinly sliced

1/4 cup minced chives

1 tsp. grated lemon zest

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp. pressed or minced garlic

In a small stockpot, warm the butter and oil over medium heat. Add the leeks and onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they have softened and the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for one minute. Add the broccoli, stock, Parmesan rind, and salt, and stir to mix. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook, partially covered, until the broccoli is tender, about 20 minutes.

While the soup cooks, prepare the cream. In a medium bowl, stir together the sour cream, scallions, chives, lemon zest, lemon juice, grated Parmesan, salt, and garlic, mixing until fully combined. Taste, and adjust seasonings as necessary.

To finish the soup, remove the Parmesan rind. Using a regular blender, puree the soup in small batches (don't fill blender more than 1/3 full with hot liquid), or use an immersion blender (which is what I did and a lot more convenient than transferring it to the blender and back), and puree until very smooth. Return the soup to the pot if necessary, add a few dollops of the cream mixture (Molly adds about 1/3 cup), and stir to incorporate. Taste for seasoning, and adjust as necessary. If needed, re-warm the soup gently over low heat.

Serve with a spoonful or two (or three, or four...) of the remaining cream on top.

Serves 4-6.

P.S. Although all the food on my blog has been vegetarian so far, I promise I'll feature food with the carnivore in mind in the very near future. Stay tuned for more kind of Fine Dining!