American – KellyintheKitchen

Impeachmint Gelato.

Published on July 4, 2017May 30, 2019 by KellyInTheKitchen2 Comments

Impeachmint Summer Gelato | KellyintheKitchen | 4 cups whole milk, 1 cup sugar, 1/3 cup water, 10-12 sprigs fresh mint, 5 smallish fresh peaches, juice of 1 lemon, 4 egg yolks

It’s been a year since I last posted. My, how things have changed!

The past few months have held a lot of surprises. Most of them have left a pit in my stomach and a bad taste in my mouth. And amidst all the protesting and the calling my representatives and the learning about my privilege, as a small-time recipe blogger, there is one other contribution I can make: I can combine two summery flavors, peach and mint, in a creamy, icy gelato recipe.

I’m calling it “Impeachmint.”

Fair warning: Impeachment is not easy to do, there are a lot of steps involved, and you’ll have a bit of a mess to clean up after it’s over. Don’t let that stop you. This needs to be done.

And what about this flavor combo, right?? Peach and mint? They really don’t seem to go together at all. Peaches are good on the grill or in a rustic pie, perhaps while kicking back with a toxic dose of Fox News?, whereas mint pairs well with fine chocolate or tea and reading The Atlantic. It’s like these flavors have nothing in common!

Sure, they’re not a natural pair. But in order to successfully execute this recipe for Impeachmint, peach and mint have to unite behind their shared dream of a better gelato. As Abraham Lincoln said, “We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies.” He was talking about the Civil War, but his words hold true today, about this gelato.

I get it, the prospect of Impeachmint is kind of intimidating. And there are probably other gelato flavors you prefer over this one. Hell, I’ll take something chocolatey from Ben & Jerry’s over Impeachmint any day. But be realistic. What’s in your freezer right now? Some gross old orange creamsicle? Impeachmint is definitely better than keeping that thing around.

INGREDIENTS

4 cups whole milk
1 cup sugar, divided
1/3 cup water (plus more for prepping ingredients)
10-12 sprigs fresh mint (a good handful), washed
5 smallish fresh peaches, peeled, pitted, and chopped
juice of 1 lemon
4 egg yolks

And check out these fun links while your ice cream freezes!
Swing Left: https://swingleft.org/
Indivisible: https://www.indivisible.us/
ACLU: https://www.aclu.org/
Pod Save America: https://getcrookedmedia.com/here-have-a-podcast-78ee56b5a323
Planned Parenthood: https://www.plannedparenthood.org/
Black Lives Matter: https://blacklivesmatter.com/

Impeachmint Summer Gelato | KellyintheKitchen | 4 cups whole milk, 1 cup sugar, 1/3 cup water, 10-12 sprigs fresh mint, 5 smallish fresh peaches, juice of 1 lemon, 4 egg yolks

DIRECTIONS

Heat milk over medium flame. Once it reaches a simmer, remove from heat, cover to retain some of the heat, and set aside.

Heat 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup sugar until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and set aside.

Prepare an ice bath. Heat a small pot of water on high until boiling. Add the mint and cook for 30 seconds until bright green. Transfer mint from boiling water to ice bath. When cooled, squeeze out extra water and set aside.

Add peaches, lemon, and remaining 1/4 cup sugar to food processor. Blend until smooth. If you like, pour peach mixture through a strainer to strain out solids. Set aside.

Add sugar syrup and mint leaves to food processor and blend until smooth. Pour through a strainer to remove solids. Set aside.

Add egg yolks and remaining 1/2 cup sugar to food processor and blend until smooth. Then, with the machine running, slowly pour in half the hot milk mixture, careful not to scramble the eggs.

Get another ice bath going—one big enough to fit the bottom of your pan—and set ice bath aside. Add the egg mixture to the remaining milk and heat pan over medium. Stir constantly until thickened. It’s ready to go when this “custard” mixture smells amazing and is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove pot with thickened custard mixture from heat and set in ice bath, stirring a occasionally to cool to lukewarm.

In a large bowl, combine strained peach mixture, lukewarm custard mixture, and mint syrup to taste (I used 2 tbsp of mint syrup because I like a more mellow mint flavor—start with that and then taste to see if you need more). Refrigerate at least a few hours, or overnight is even better.

Once gelato mixture is thoroughly chilled, churn according to your ice cream maker’s instructions. Freeze in cute little cups or in a bigger ice cream container. When the mixture has set, your gelato is ready to go! In typical gelato fashion, give it a minute or two to thaw a little before digging in. Garnish with a mint leaf or two, bring some over to your neighbor, eat it together without fighting, if possible.

Impeachmint Summer Gelato | KellyintheKitchen | 4 cups whole milk, 1 cup sugar, 1/3 cup water, 10-12 sprigs fresh mint, 5 smallish fresh peaches, juice of 1 lemon, 4 egg yolks

WTAF Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Published on June 5, 2016June 23, 2016 by KellyInTheKitchen4 Comments

There’s no such thing as a reimagined-to-be-healthy recipe that’s as good as the original. Anyone who says otherwise is either delusional or magic. That’s my long-held belief, anyway–which is why I’m naming my recipe WTAF Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies. If we’re in need of a bit of decoding, WTAF stands for “What The Actual F***,” a fitting exclamation of surprise at how perfect these cookies are. Why was I so surprised? Because, after months of experimenting with healthier cookie recipes, I had resigned myself to the fact that without AP flour, butter, sugar, and other highly-processed ingredients, healthier cookies would just never compare. Then I made these (!!!), drawing from a recipe I saw on Whole and Heavenly Oven. Maybe the trick is the making my own cashew butter (easier than it may sound), or that I’ve left in just enough brown sugar to be a *little* bad. But the first bite from my first batch was so damn good, these cookies earned their name and then some. If my mom’s chocolate chips are an 11 on a 1-to-10 cookie rating scale, I’m awarding these guys a solid 9.5. They meet all my cookie requirements: golden color, chewy texture, good chip distribution, and they taste pretty much perfect. PLEASE make them soon, and know true healthy dessert joy.

INGREDIENTS

1 heaping cup raw cashews
1 heaping cup honey roasted cashews (or, cut out all the cashews completely and replace with 1 cup store-bought cashew butter, WITHOUT the oil layer on top stirred in, as this will likely make the cashew butter too liquidy)
scant 1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (I like to go lighter on chips (…I know…) so feel free to add more)

*Note on replacements: This recipe doesn’t turn out anywhere near as good if you omit the raw cashews and replace them with another cup of roasted cashews. For whatever reason, it throws the texture off. Stick with 1 cup raw and 1 cup roasted.

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with a baking mat or parchment paper.

In a food processor or bender, add both types of cashews and grind them into nut butter. It takes my food processor about 5 minutes to get to the right stage: completely pulverized and able to hold together as a ball (read: a thick, just-barely-spreadable nut butter), but not liquidy.

Measure out 1 cup of the cashew butter (you should have just about that amount in your food processor, with maybe a little left over) and transfer it to a mixing bowl. Add the brown sugar, egg, vanilla, baking soda, and salt, and stir until combined. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips. Your batter will be sticky.

Scoop the dough into small balls and press them flat onto the baking sheet–not too close, as they do spread just a little bit. Then, pop them in the oven.

After about 6 minutes, bang the bottom of the cookie sheet onto the oven door a few times to deflate the cookies (this step will help result in cookies that are more chewy than cakey–I HATE cake-y). Continue to bake for 4-6 more minutes, til the cookies have turned a gorgeous golden brown color. Let them cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack.

Like all chocolate chip cookies, they’re at their most amazing while still warm, right out of the oven. If you do have any leftovers, keep them sealed and they’ll last up to a week.

IMPORTANT SERVING NOTE: I have also successfully baked these pressed into mini-skillets with a scoop of ice cream on top. Highly recommended.

Kale Salad with Pistachios and Roasted Cauliflower.

Published on December 7, 2015December 7, 2015 by KellyInTheKitchen1 Comment

Fancy breakfast side. Favorite work lunch. Quick and easy dinner. This salad has everything going for it even before I tell you how healthy and and wholesome it is (and it is healthy and wholesome). The dressing has all the things a good dressing should. Lemon and oil, sweet honey and tangy mustard, and a bit of seasoning are beautifully simple tossed with kale. The cauliflower makes it interesting and a little “meatier,” and with a good sprinkle of pistachios, things are starting to look downright fancy! I love this as an accompaniment to frittata on my weekend mornings (check the bottom photo!), and it’s an office lunch I actually look forward to. And since it’s normal to be out of an ingredient or two, I love riffing on the dressing using whatever I have around (no lemon? Try white wine vinegar. No pistachios? Almonds are great, too.). What I’m saying is, it tastes amazing, is good for you, and you can eat it for every meal. Make it. Make it today.

INGREDIENTS

for salad:
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp honey
1/4 tsp granulated garlic
salt and pepper
1/4 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese (or as much as you want!)
1/3 cup chopped pistachios (or about 1/2 cup if you measure before shelling)
1 large bunch kale, washed, dried, and julienned

for cauliflower:
1 cup cauliflower florets, washed, dried, and sliced
olive oil for drizzling (no need to use EVOO here, regular is fine)
salt and pepper
scant 1/4 tsp granulated garlic
pinch of cayenne pepper

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

I like to start with the dressing; the longer those flavors have to come together, the better it will taste. Combine olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, honey, garlic, salt, and pepper, and stir together. Add the cheese and gently stir it in. Set aside.

Toss the cauliflower in the olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, and cayenne until evenly coated. Spread on a baking sheet in a single layer and roast about 25 minutes, stirring halfway through. It’s done when the florets are soft and just toasty-brown. Let it cool to room temperature before using.

While the cauliflower is roasting, I use this time to de-shell and chop the pistachios.

The final step is assembly. Toss the kale in the dressing, taste, and adjust seasonings if needed. Add the pistachios, and top with cauliflower. Serve as a side or as the main event. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Dog Treats.

Published on September 7, 2014September 7, 2014 by KellyInTheKitchen5 Comments

Happy fall!!! Just kidding. We’re not quite there yet. But that doesn’t mean we can’t bake something pumpkin-y. And pumpkin dog treats just felt right this weekend, since I was dog-sitting my family’s black lab, Peepers. Did you know that pumpkin is really good for doggy tummies? And that a lot of dogs really love the taste of pumpkin? That’s why this recipe is such a success – and not just with Peepers, who will eat literally anything. Peep has lots of dog friends who acted as my taste testers: a yellow lab, an American foxhound, and a vizsla with a sensitive stomach. I think I know a beagle who might appreciate them, too.

The results: the labs and vizsla were bonkers for them, and the foxhound was funny – she carried a treat around in her mouth for a while before she finally ate it.

One important note. You know your dog better than I do, so if he has a sensitive stomach or hasn’t tried anything like this before, give him one or two treats and then watch for any signs of upset, just to be safe. As for my taste testers, the canine verdict is good – my pup was breaking out all her tricks to get her paws on these pumpkin treats.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup pumpkin puree
1 tbsp peanut butter
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups unbleached flour, plus more for dusting (if your dog is sensitive to gluten, use brown rice flour or a similar substitute)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Stir together pumpkin puree, peanut butter, and eggs. Add 1 cup flour, stir to incorporate, add the rest of the flour, and stir again.

Lightly flour a flat surface. Take half the dough and use a rolling pin to roll it about 1/4 inch thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut out the treats. I used a heart, but honestly, your dog has no clue what shape they’re eating, so do whatever you want. Repeat with the rest of the dough until it’s all cookie-shaped.

Lay the treats on a baking sheet (they don’t expand much, so feel free to crowd them on, as long as they’re not touching) and bake for 20-30 minutes. They do puff up in the oven, almost like a cute little pillow, so that the hearts are more 3D than flat.

Let cool completely before putting them away.

Peepers was suspicious of the treats at first – like, are you trying to make me eat something healthy?? – but once she had one, I could barely keep her away. Love her little face when she gets excited to eat another treat!

Quick Weeknight Pulled Pork.

Published on August 3, 2014August 3, 2014 by KellyInTheKitchen3 Comments

Pulled pork is legendary. I could probably eat it a few times a week. But its 4-6 hour cooking time can be brutally long, especially on a weeknight, when you’d have to be nuts to attempt it. Four to 6 hours cooking after work means either a midnight meal or a “creative solution,” and that’s what I’ve got for ya here. Complete with its own quick homemade sauce, this one-pot dish cooks on the stove top and is ready to go (even if you’re a slow recipe-maker!) in under an hour. Now of course, this isn’t the same as the 6-hour slow-cooked version, but it’s tender and flavorful and still makes for awesome leftovers the next day. And the day after. And it’s an excuse to eat some of my favs – coleslaw and refried beans!

INGREDIENTS

2 tbsp butter
olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 cup ketchup
2 1/2 cups chicken stock or water
3 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 lb boneless pork loin roast, cut into 4 pieces

DIRECTIONS

Heat a Dutch oven or other large pot with a lid over medium heat. Melt the butter (plus a splash of olive oil to keep the butter from burning) and add the onion, cooking until soft and just starting to brown. Add the garlic and salt and cook another minute, careful not to burn the garlic. Add the cayenne pepper, cumin, and ground coriander. Stir and toast the spices for about a minute.

When the spices are fragrant (and you feel like you might sneeze from the smell of the cayenne pepper), add the ketchup, stock or water, brown sugar, thyme, and cider vinegar. Bring to a boil and then add the pork to the pot. Cover the pot and keep at an active simmer for about 25 minutes. I flipped the pieces of pork over halfway through.

When the pork is tender and cooked through, remove it to a plate. Turn up the heat so that the sauce comes to a steady boil and let it bubble away until thickened a bit – I let mine go for about 15 minutes.

Let the meat cool until it’s not too hot to work with, and then shred it with two forks. It won’t shred as easily as the slow-cooked kind—don’t worry, just power through it. Toss the pork in the sauce and serve!

S’mores with Homemade Spiced Graham Crackers.

Published on June 24, 2014June 28, 2014 by KellyInTheKitchen7 Comments

Ohmygod these are the best s’mores ever. I don’t even give ’em the ol’ campfire treatment and they’re still the best ever—even in the oven, they’re toasty and good. I’m eating my way through my current batch very very quickly. The crackers have just a bit of ginger and cinnamon—enough to make things interesting—and their texture is different from your average light and crispy graham cracker. They’re a little more crumbly and a little more substantial. Makes for a really nice batch of s’mores! The only problem is keeping enough of the graham crackers around so that I can have one whenever I want. I think this means I have to up my graham cracker production…

INGREDIENTS

for graham crackers:
1 cup plus 3 tbsp almond meal (or grind up 1 heaping cup of whole almonds)
1/4 cup coconut flour
1 tsp potato starch (or use arrowroot powder)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
pinch of salt
1 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp plus 2 tsp room temperature butter
1 1/2 tbsp molasses
1 tbsp milk
splash of vanilla

to assemble:
jumbo marshmallows
chocolate (I only had chocolate chips in the house, so that’s what I used)

DIRECTIONS

In a food processor, pulse together the almond meal, coconut flour, potato starch, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. Then add the maple syrup, molasses, butter, milk, and vanilla and pulse just until the dough comes together. If it’s looking too wet, add a bit of coconut flour and pulse again.

Turn the dough out onto a sheet of parchment paper, press into a flat disc, and wrap in the parchment. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to a few days.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Remove the dough from the fridge and roll out to about 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into squares (or whatever shape you want) and lay flat on a parchment-lined baking sheet. If you like, use a fork to make some kind of cute little design. Bake for about 10 minutes, until the edges just start to brown.

That’s it for the graham crackers! When you’re ready to make the s’mores (which, for me, was immediately), turn the oven up to 400 F. While it preheats, top the graham crackers with chocolate and add a marshmallow to each. I tried sandwich s’mores and the open-faced kind, and open-faced is the way to go. You get double the s’mores goods that way, and still all that toasty marshmallow on top. Pop them in the oven just for a minute or two, until the chocolate has melted and the marshmallows are lightly browned.

That’s it! Keep the rest of the graham crackers in a sealed container and just repeat the melting process when you’re ready for another s’more. I put them in my cast iron skillet to toast in the oven, and maybe I’m imagining it, but they seem to toast up just perfectly this way.

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