Smitten Kitchen Part III

For the past few months I have continued to cook my way through my favorite cookbook, Smitten Kitchen. Here are my most recent adventures and my advice/opinion about the recipes that I have attempted. I continue to recommend that if you do not own this cookbook you definitely should!!

Maple Bacon Biscuits

First off, my family doesn’t eat pork products; therefore, the bacon aforementioned will be turkey bacon. And since I have never had piggy bacon I can truthfully state that turkey bacon is absolutely as delicious as pork bacon (ignorance is bliss, right?). However, for extra flavor the author used bacon fat in the biscuit dough, but turkey bacon is very lean and lets say I got about three drops of bacon fat instead of two tablespoon. Therefore, I had to add extra butter to the dough. Also, I was making these for Father’s Day, and my parent’s did not have buttermilk; therefore, I made my own, using skim milk and vinegar.  These flaky biscuits were very delicious! The maple syrup and bacon in the dough made them irresistible to everyone, and there were zero leftovers.

Yummy turkey bacon peeking through the cooked biscuits

Fig, Olive Oil, and Sea Salt Challah

I love fresh, hot bread; however, I have not been able to find a bread recipe that convinces me to put in all the extra work making homemade bread myself; instead of just buying bread from a bakery. The consensus about this recipe is that it was flavorsome but it too much work for this cook. The flavor combination was what intrigued me, with main ingredients being: honey, olive oil, figs, orange zest, and orange juice. If I was to make this again, I would triple the orange zest because there was barely a hint of it on my palate. I do not have a stand mixer with a dough hook, so I had to make the dough by hand (which it gives these directions as well in the recipe book). The making of the dough and fig paste gave me zero problems, just took a plethora of time. The problems that arose for me dealt with the weaving of the challah….my weaving skills are subpar at best, I got the eight-legged woven-headed octopus, but something went wrong with my left-right jumps that followed. So my challah didn’t look Food Network worthy, but I put it in the oven because looks aren’t everything.  The cookbook states that the bread is done when a thermometer reading of 195 degrees is obtained….my bread was done at 165 degrees. The bread was good fresh out the oven but I swore that it was not worth to make it again, and if I craved fig challah again, that I would buy challah from a bakery and then add some fig paste to it. However, I felt that as I nibbled on it for the next few days (I took the leftovers on a weekend hiking trip), the flavor got more intense and the inside remain soft and moist.

My misshaped baked challah bread

Finished weaving and added egg wash; ready to place in the oven

It was after this step that I screwed up the weaving process

The two long ropes with one cut in half so you will have four ropes to do the weaving

Applying the fig paste to the rolled out bread dough

Bread after it has raised twice it's size

Fig paste

Before the bread dough had risen

Shaved Asparagus Pizza

I love the dough recipe in this cookbook, and the Everyday Margarita Pizza I have already made several times. The next pizza featured in the cookbook is Shaved Asparagus pizza. I have made this recipe twice. The second time I added sun-dried tomatoes; in addition, I added more green onions than the recipe asked. In the end, when the pizza was taken out of the oven, I added red pepper flakes and more Parmesan cheese as toppings. I can see myself craving the Everyday Margarita Pizza more often than this pizza, but this Asparagus Pizza should definitely not be overlooked, because it was a refreshing twist on a pizza.

Getting ready to go in the oven

Fresh out of the oven, just look at that irresistible crust

Adding the finishing touches, the green onions (not shown are the sun-dried tomatoes)

Flat Roasted Chicken with Tiny Potatoes

This was my first time working with a whole chicken, and anytime I have to deal with raw meat, (especially poultry) in that moment, I am always wondering why I am not a vegetarian, and then when it’s cooked and tastes so delicious, I know why I am an omnivore. This recipe was no exception. Preparing the chicken for the oven, I removed the backbone with my kitchen shears (by the way, the sound of cutting bone is more cringe-worthy than nails on a chalkboard), and then I discovered that all the inners (liver, gizzards, heart, etc) were still inside. I know people can probably make delicious dishes out of the inners of animals (my father is one of them) but I will not be a taste-tester for you; so my chicken’s inners went unused, until some kitty cat finds them in a landfill. I followed the recipe except I put my whole package of fresh thyme in it, because I love the taste and herbs spoil in the refrigerator too quickly. This recipe requires so few ingredients but the flavor of the drippings was amazing. For leftovers, I took all the meat off the bones and I am letting them soak in some of the drippings in the refrigerator. The chicken part of this recipe I would make again; however, the tiny potatoes were barely mediocre. I have concluded that I enjoy fingerling potatoes over golden potatoes for future recipes.

Getting ready to go in the oven

Right out of the oven. I used my cast iron dutch oven to cook this dish

Cooked chicken with the drippings and fresh thyme

Harvest Roast Chicken with Grapes, Olives, and Rosemary

First I need to inform you that I think olives are the second worst smelling food in my opinion (bananas are first); therefore, I left the olives out of this recipe and put more grapes instead. This will be my go-to chicken recipe for the future;  it was so savory, filling, and mouth-watering. For the recipe, I just used chicken legs, although the recipe states that any part of the chicken can be used. I did not use fresh rosemary but rather dried rosemary from my spice cabinet. The sauce was what made this recipe outstanding, and there was definitely some slurping of the sauce when I was devouring this dish.

Almost ready to serve...yum yum!

Buttered Popcorn Cookies

I made this recipe with my niece, so I am definitely going to “blame” the imperfections that happened in this recipe on her. This recipe intrigued me because I was so curious on the texture of the cookie with the popcorn in it. This was my first time making stovetop popcorn and I definitely didn’t experience beginners luck; there was a lot of burnt popcorn on the bottom, but I had doubled the amount of popcorn in the beginning so we could snack on it, so I had enough for the recipe even thought 50% was burnt beyond use. Another friend has attempted this recipe, and she used an air popper for her popcorn; therefore, if you just have microwave popcorn I think it will be fine. The cookie batter of this recipe was divine, and yes I risked salmonella to taste test it. In the batter, I tripled the amount of vanilla. The baked cookies smelled beyond mouthwatering; just think of the smell combination of buttered popcorn and freshly baked cookies, delicious right! My family tried the cookies but my niece and I were the only ones that had seconds. The cookies were satisfying but the texture was so unique that I could see how some may not like it; plus I think my niece and I over whipped the batter so the cookies came out of the oven a little flat. I was thinking about using the batter from this recipe and putting some butterscotch or M&Ms for a future cookie.

Uncooked cookie with popcorn in it

Freshly baked popcorn cookies

Blueberry Cornmeal Butter Cake

When I drink my morning cups (yes, cupS) of coffee, I usually eat something for breakfast with a little bit of sweetness because I drink my coffee black, and my coffee is always a plain roast (no flavors resembling any kind of food, hazelnut/French toast etc). This cake was perfect for my coffee snack, breakfast, after lunch snack, and dessert; I think that covers all the times I ate it. My favorite part of this recipe was the streusel topping, and it was my family’s favorite as well. I used a longer pan than what was recommend, so my “bars” were not as thick, but that didn’t make them any less scrumptious.  Also, we did not have sour cream so I substituted yogurt instead. Another great thing about this recipe is that I always have all the ingredients (except blueberries) in my kitchen. This will definitely be a recipe I make in the future.

Unbaked batter without streusel topping

Unbaked batter with streusel topping 

Baked cake

A slice of all kinds of blueberry goodness

Olive Oil Ricotta Cake with Concord Grape Coulis

I was making this recipe for my family in Missouri, and their small town grocery stores do not carry Concord Grapes; therefore, red seedless grapes were substituted. Anytime lemon is added to a food, such as a bread or cake, I have always enjoyed it, and in my opinion there can never be too much lemony-flavored in desserts. A topping suggestion for the cooked cake is confectioner’s sugar, but there was definitely enough sweetness in the grape coulis.

Grape Coulis

Baked Oil Olive Ricotta Cake

A lemony masterpiece

Hiking Clallam Bay Spit

I continue to accomplish trails in my Day Hiking Olympic Peninsula hiking book. Clallam Bay Spit is the second spit that I have hiked (see previous blog posting: Hiking Dungeness Spit).  When we arrived, the beach was absolutely deserted and remained that way for our entire visit. This beach is surrounded by the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Canadian mountains. When we first arrived the mountains were obscured due to the low clouds but as we were finishing the hike on the way back, the mountains were visible. This spit had a non-conventional lighthouse (no tower or light). During high tide expect to walk on mostly rocks, rather than sand. Since it was high tide there wasn't any tide pools to explore but there were dead sea urchins, mussels, and crab on the beach. The Strait of Juan de Fuca created some big waves that were impressive while gazing from the beach.

It is stated in the hiking book that in 2003 that the bridge was rendered useless because of the river flooding; we then assumed that the bridge would have been rebuilt after over 10 years, but we were wrong; which added a few miles to our hike. Which wouldn't have been problematic but we had already hiked 11 miles on a previous trail that day, and we didn't realize this until we hiked the entire spit. There was no where to cross the water (river or the strait); therefore, we had to backtrack the way we came. If you have a kayak you can ford the river.

If you are in the area, I recommend this short hike (with the bridge out, it's just a little over 4 miles if you do the whole thing) and then stopping at the local grocery store. The grocery store has some interesting food items; I grabbed some chinese rice crackers and they were amazing. The owners are from Australia and they have lots of food from Australia. The city of Clallam Bay is definitely a working-class town so there are definitely some "shady" areas but it still has a lot of character, and some spectacular views even if you are just driving through it.

The bridge that one cannot cross unless they are a giant or can jump really really high

Waves rolling in; in the background are Canadian mountains (Vancouver Island) that are not really visible

Seiku Point (the city of Seiku)

The mountains are somewhat visible

The rocks and a dead, purple sea urchin

Typical Pacific Northwest beach attire: gloves, winter jacket,  and hat

You can see the Canadian mountains a little bit better; the landmass is Slip Point

Hiking Hoh River-Five Mile Island

The most famous rainforest in Washington (yes, the state is THAT awesome that it has more than one rainforest), is the Hoh Rainforest located in Olympic National Park. This wasn't my first time at the rainforest but I was beyond excited to do some serious hiking in this spectacular place! I was prepared to be rained on for the 11 miles of the trail because after all it is a rainforest, and receives annually 150 inches of rain a year; compared to the 40 inches of rain that Seattle receives annually. However, we were greeted with almost clear skies and an abundance of sunshine. There's a visitor center and the rangers said that this was the nicest day that they had seen in months, and that yesterday was by far the worst day....timing is truly everything! Let the hiking begin!

All trails begin at the visitor center and if you have your handy dandy Olympic Peninsula Mountaineer Hiking Book then you already know some of the wonders that you will be encountering on the Hoh River trail. Since we were hiking in the spring (considered off-season in this area), the snow from the mountains had melted and added to the volume and intensity of water contributing to the waterfalls on this trail. Unless you have visited this area, pictures cannot begin to describe the vast greenness and grandeur of the trees and the forest grounds. Licorice ferns and club mosses cling to overhanging tree branches; some add so much weight to the branches that they break off and become a permanent fixture to the forest floor. Some of the Cedar trees are older than the great cathedrals of Europe. When you reach your destination (Five Mile Island) you can marvel at the surrounding area including Bogachiel Peak. Five Mile Island is formed by river channels and we were the only ones there so it was beyond peaceful and a perfect spot to have lunch and refuel for the trek back.

Throughout the trail you will be greeted with unobstructed views of the river and Mount Tom. The trail is relatively maintained, and while we were out hiking, the Washington Trail Association was out preparing the trail for the crowds of people that travel to the Hoh Rainforest during the summer months. There were a couple of places that one could get their feet wet by fording creeks and river, but these areas may now be fixed. We witnessed the large herd of elk right on the trail but our presence spooked the majority of them. I am obsessed with bridges and this trail was filled with so many different types of bridges. Also, it had unexpected, massive waterfalls that were not mentioned in the hiking book; gotta love nature's surprises!

The Hall of Mosses Trail and the Spruce Trail are perfect hikes if you just want a taste of the Hoh Rainforest, but if you are able to devote enough time to accomplish the Hoh River Trail I highly recommend it. I took over 300 pictures during this hike; here's just a glimpse of what I witnessed that day.

Boardwalk bridge over stream

Bridge over small waterfall

Same bridge over small waterfall from different viewpoint

Stairs leading up to the bridge

Moss-covered forest

Rainforest and the trail terrain

Moss-covered branch on ground

Sunbeams through moss-covered trees

When taking this picture, it was so bright that the trees showed up as silhouettes and it added a "spooky" effect in my opinion

The trees were SO tall that it is really impossible to showcase their height

Small waterfall on trail

Another small waterfall on the trail

Small waterfall with moss-covered rocks

Waterfall on trail; in the background it is hard to see how tall the waterfall extended up

Aquamarine color of the river

Walking man covered in moss

The trail was really really really muddy in some areas, so stepping stones were appreciated

There are two elks in this picture

Gravel bars

Five-Mile Island

Panoramic view of Five-Mile Island and Bogachiel Peak

Staring upon Bogachiel Peak; at Five-Mile island there were some remnants of other's campfire

Bogachiel Peak at Five-Mile Island