GO CARDINALS!!!

WHY are the Arizona Cardinals not getting their just due? Why are people so surprised that the Cardinals actually won the NFC Championship today (granted that this is their first time ever, since the inception of the NFL, that they got this far in the post-season AND won the NFC AND their first time as contenders in the Super Bowl)? What I don't understand is how this can be so surprising. Have they not seen Kurt Warner's quick release of the football, Larry Fitzgerald's gravity-defying catches, the amazing job the Cardinal's defense does in stopping their opponents' offense, or Adrian Wilson's ten-year devotion to the Cardinals?

I'm not a die hard fan, but for a very long time, I've had a soft spot for this underdog team. I was really exited when they drafted Matt Leinart as the team's quarterback of the future and saw it as a sign that the Cardinals were no longer going to be the laughing stock of the NFL. Then Matt Leinart got injured last season and Kurt Warner replaced him. I'll admit that I really [heart] Kurt Warner as a quarterback. How could you not? He's not a "traditional" quarterback, meaning that he went to a college that did not have a major football program, that after his college education he played Arena Football because no NFL team was willing to give him a chance, and finally he was able to sign with the St. Louis Rams in 1998 as a back up quarterback to eventually taking the Rams to and winning Super Bowl XXXIV in January 2000. I also [heart] Kurt Warner because he's one of the few remaining quarterbacks I watched as a "youngster" that has not yet retired (sniff, sniff, bye Brett Farve, I know you're going into retirement).

Okay, so enough gushing about Kurt Warner (he rocks!!!). Since the Cardinals clenched the NFC Championship today, it means that they are going to the Super Bowl (YEAH!!!). So watch the Super Bowl and root for the Cardinals. GO CARDINALS!!!

Burgundy Door

[Annapolis, MD, taken December 5, 2008]

Candied Lemon Peels

My sisters swear that I have too much time on my hand. I like to think that I'm curious and thrifty (especially considering the state of the economy right now). So as of late, I've been wanting to make lemon sorbet (a future blog in the making). After squeezing the juice for the sorbet, rather than throwing away the peels, I decided to candy the peels. After doing some research on the internet, I came up with the following recipe. I would recommend using organic lemons because regular lemons in the supermarket have a wax applied to the peel.

Candied Lemon Peel

Peel of 3 medium sized lemons
Water for blancing
1 1/2 C of water
1 3/4 C of sugar
(1/2 C of sugar for coating if needed)

1. Remove the pith (the white parts on the back of the peel) from the peel (try to remove as much as you can).

2. Blanche the peels by boiling several cups of water in a small pan. Put peels into the pan and boil the peels for about 5 minutes. Drain. Repeat this process two more times.

3. Add the 1 1/2 C of water and 1 3/4 C of sugar to the pan. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer the peels for about an hour (boiling longer is okay if necessary). The liquid will be syrupy and the peels should be soft, tender, and sweet. The syrup and peels will be hot.

4. The peels may be left in the syrup and stored in the refrigerator in a clean and air tight container. This method of storage allows the lemon peels to stay soft and flexible. The peels may be chopped up and used when making other baked goods.

5. The peels may also be coated in sugar. Put a 1/2 of sugar in a sealable container (e.g. Tupperware). Once the peels and syrup are cool, take out the peels and put into the container with sugar, seal it, and shake. Afer shaking, take the lemon peels out of the sugar and dry on wax paper. [As my picture indicates, I didn't properly coat the lemon peels with the sugar. I'd recommend coating several strips at a time instead of coating the lemon peels all at once]. Store the sugar-coated lemon peels in an air tight container.

6. Lastly, don't throw away the syrup, it will be a lovely yellow. Keep the lemon syrup in an airtight container in the fridge and use it to make lemonade, as a topping, sweetner, etc.

Books of 2008

The following is a list of the books that I remember reading in 2008 because, unfortunately, I didn't keep a good record of the books I read. I excluded from this list books that I began reading but didn't finish, books that I skipped through multiple chapters, and cookbooks. Lastly, I want to add that many of these books are a good read and I encourage you to check them out. I would particularily recommend The Disappearing Act of Esme Lennox by Margaret O'Farrell.

1. Antonement—Ian McEwan
2. The Other Bolyen Girl—Phillippa Gregory
3. Mr. Darcy's Diary—Amanda Grange
4. Shoot the Moon—Billie Letts
5. In the Woods—Tana French
6. The Disappearing Act of Esme Lennox—Margaret O'Farrell

7. The Historian—Elizabeth Kostova
8. The Little Women—Katherine Weber

9. The Slightest Provacation—Pam Rosenthal
10. The Pillars of the Earth—Ken Follett

11. Shadows at the Fair: An Antique Print Mystery—Lea Wait
12. Still Life with Chickens—Catherine Goldhammer
13. The Lost Ravioli Recipes of Hoboken—Laura Schenone
14. Julie and Julia—Julie Powell

15. Son of a Witch—Gregory McGuire
16. Size 12 is Not Fat—Meg Cabot

17. Twilight—Stephanie Meyer
18. New Moon—Stephanie Meyer
19. Eclipse—Stephanie Meyer
20. A Map of the World—Jane Hamilton

Back Yard

[A quaint and picturesque back yard in Annapolis, Maryland, taken December 5, 2008.]

I Scream for Ice Cream

Even in the dead of winter, I scream for ice cream. So why am I suddenly so interested in homemade ice cream? Well, for the holidays I purchased for myself a KitchenAid standing mixer and an ice cream attachment. It may sound extravagant but I've been patiently saving for a KitchenAid standing mixer for a very long time.

So what else am I to do but experiment with making ice cream. I've made several batches of ice cream, but after several trial and error (mostly having to do with use of the ice cream bowl and making sure that the bowl is frozen solid), I've finally made a really, really good batch of ice cream. I found a recipe online for french vanilla ice cream and tweaked it according to the ingredients I had on hand. I used vanilla extract, but would recommend using a vanilla bean. It was still yummy, but I the future I'd make this recipe with a vanilla bean because doing so would make a big difference in the flavor of the ice cream.

If you're ever in my neighborhood, holler before coming over and I'll make a batch especially for you. Enjoy the recipe.

French Vanilla Ice Cream (adapted from Cook's Illustrated)

2 C Half and Half
1 C Heavy cream
3/4 C Sugar
1 vanilla bean (split lengthwise and scraped) OR 2 TBL vanilla extract
6 large egg yolks

1. Bring milk, cream, 1/4 cup of sugar, [and vanilla seeds and pod] to 175°F (80°C) in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar (and break up vanilla seeds if using vanilla seeds and pod).

2. Meanwhile, beat remaining sugar with yolks until mixture turns pale yellow and thickens so that it falls in ribbons, about 2 minutes with an electric mixer or 4 minutes with a whisk.

3. Remove 1/2 cup hot milk from pan and slowly whisk it into beaten yolks. Then gradually whisk yolk mixture into saucepan and, stirring constantly, heat this mixture over medium-low heat to 180°F (82°C), 8 to 10 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat; strain custard into a plastic or nonreactive metal bowl. [Retrieve vanilla pods from strainer and add them to the mixture.] Place bowl in a larger bowl of ice water to bring custard to room temperature.

4. Seal bowl and refrigerate until custard is no more than 40 degrees, 4 to 8 hours. (This is unnecessary with self-contained electric model). Remove vanilla pods or add extract and pour custard into an ice cream machine. Churn until frozen.

Makes 1 quart.

Angel Food Cake

Lately I've been experimenting with making ice cream and have been adding to my stash of egg whites (a blog about ice cream making is forthcoming). Since I've finally accumulated enough egg whites, I decided to make angel food cake.

I've been waiting for a very long time to make this cake. I haven't made it in the past because I either didn't have enough egg whites on hand or something would happen to my egg whites (e.g. my mate threw away my frozen egg whites). Anyhow, the stars were aligned and I had enough egg whites, frozen strawberries (for a topping), and heavy cream (to make homemade whipped cream) to make a yummy dessert. I know people associate this dreamy dessert with the summer, but consindering that it is 24 degrees outside, I think this dessert is more than appropriate at this moment. I used the following recipe, but would scale back the amount of sugar by 1/4 cup because I found the cake to be a bit on the sweet side.

Angel Food Cake (adapted from Cooks Illustrated, The Best Recipe)

1 1/2 cups egg whites (10-12 large), at room temperature
1 1/2 cups superfine sugar, divided (I recommend reduction of sugar by 1/4 cup)
1 cup sifted cake flour
1 tsp cream of tartar

1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract

Preheat oven to 325F.

1. In a small bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup sugar and the cake flour. Set aside.

2. Beat egg whites until frothy, the add cream of tartar and salt. Beat until fully incorporated then add the remaining 3/4 cup of sugar 1-2 tablespoons at a time. When sugar has been added, beat egg whites to soft peaks (the egg whites will look like soft waves and when you lift the beaters, the peaks will droop back down into the batter). If your batter is falling in ribbons, it is not quite down. Do not beat all the way to stiff peaks. Once you have soft peaks, add the vanilla and almond extracts and beat for a few seconds to evenly distribute.

3. Sift the flour/sugar mixture over the egg whites in 6-8 additions (depending on your proficiency with folding flour into egg whites) and gently fold it in after each addition. It is better to take your time and do it gently than to rush and deflate the egg whites.

4. Spoon batter into an ungreased 9 inch tube pan. Smooth the top with a spatula and tap the pan on the counter once or twice to ensure that there are no large bubbles lurking beneath the surface.

5. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until the top springs back when lightly pressed. Remove from oven an invert pan over a bottle. Allow to cool completely. Gently run a thin knife around the sides, then around the bottom, of the pan to release the cake when you are ready to serve it. If desired, serve with straberries and whipped cream.