Allison Cafe

Babycakes Vegan Chocolate Cupcake

By Allison Baloglu, for YourSmartKitchen

Something struck me as funny today. Chocolate is so often associated with sweet treats, but actually if you have ever sampled pure cocoa, it is actually bitter. And if you have ever read the ingredients on most chocolate bars, they have to add sugar to get the sweet flavor we enjoy. Sometimes the milk chocolate bars we have grown to love are less than 50% chocolate. Which means that for milk chocolate lovers, you may actually be more addicted to the sugar than the chocolate. And white chocolate does not even contain chocolate solids, it is simply cocoa butter, sugar and milk. But some good news for you dark chocolate lovers out there: dark chocolate is full of healthy antioxidants. Dark chocolate treats are usually over 65-70% chocolate solids, or cocoa, content.

So what’s so healthy about dark chocolate anyway? Chocolate contains flavonoids, which act as antioxidants. Antioxidants, which are found in a variety foods, protect the body from aging and promote good cardiovascular health. They do this by neutralizing “free radicals” in the body, which are molecules that cause cell damage. Dark chocolate contains a large number of antioxidants. And while there are several studies pending to determine exactly how many antioxidants there are in chocolate, there is significant evidence to suggest that a small serving of chocolate contains equal amounts to red wine, or other fruits and vegetables. Flavonoids can help lower blood pressure, lower LDL cholesterol, and balance certain hormones in the body.

Dr. Oz on Oprah, Antioxident Rich Foods

Still not sure I completely understood what an antioxidant really did, I watched an episode of Dr. Oz on Oprah’s television program. He conducted a visual representation that really clicked with me and helped me to understand how they perform. Common antioxidants are vitamins C, E and beta-carotene. So as an example Dr. Oz had a lemon, which contains vitamin C, and some apple slices on a table. He explained that the term antioxidant means just that, it combats oxidation. When you slice an apple it will turn brown when left out and exposed to oxygen. But, if you squeeze lemon juice on the apple it prevents, or at least delays, the oxidation process. Seeing that example made sense to me. So imagine those antioxidants, like vitamin C for example, are hard at work inside your body too. This is why consuming these vitamins has so many benefits, including keeping your skin looking young and firm. That must be why the Greeks say to make food your medicine!

Now, this does not mean that just because cocoa powder and dark chocolate contain all these health benefits that you can over indulge. Like with anything else in your diet, moderation is key. Chocolate when consumed as part of a balanced diet can be a heart healthy treat. In addition to tasting good and lowering blood pressure, it also stimulates endorphin production, which gives a feeling of pleasure; it contains serotonin, which acts as an anti-depressant; and it contains theobromine, caffeine and other substances which are stimulants. Theobromine by the way is the ingredient that makes this substance so toxic for pets. Their systems are not able to unable to metabolize the chemical effectively. So keep it to yourself and enjoy!

P.S.

I am going to be whipping up some tasty Valentines Day creations this week, stay tuned for Flourless Chocolate Cake, or Chocolate Souffle, whichever sounds tastier later this week!!

What is your favorite chocolate recipe? And remember, chocolate can be savory or sweet, it isn’t just for dessert!

Introducing our newest Guest Writer, Genna! Genna is a talented graphic designer, marketer, artist and super-mom. She is also a fellow Flagler College alumni. Despite all of Genna’s amazing gifts, she is admittedly not an avid baker. As you would expect of an artist, she takes greater pleasure in decorating a cupcake than she does in baking one. Nothing wrong with that! I hope you enjoy Genna’s recent adventure in cupcake making, and maybe even take inspiration from her creative cupcake decor. Enjoy!

A Cupcake Quest

Last weekend I experienced my annual “Gotta make my husband’s homemade birthday cake” dilema. This request is bestowed upon me and usually includes which specific recipe I am supposed to make. Past years were carrot cake with avocado frosting, tres leches and some other anti-Betty Crocker ideas. This year my husband graciously asked for kid friendly cupcakes since we were going to celebrate at a bowling alley. Phew – it could be worse! I immediately looked to Allison Cafe to see what’s been tested in the kitchen by my friend.

Kid friendly requirements in MY book is: No nuts and lots of sprinkles. I don’t care about quantity of sugar or fat. If it looks cool, they love it. My kid is crazy anyway with or without sugar.

The recipe that seemed to fit the bill was Allison’s “Chocolate Cupcakes with Creamy White Frosting“. What I didn’t like about it was that it asked for things that I didn’t have in my pantry (buttermilk & coconut extract). Did I forget to mention I’m super lazy and dislike cooking in general? In retrospect, I should have just made this recipe because no matter what recipe I picked to make from scratch would seem to me annoyingly difficult and ask for items I’d have to go purchase.

So, I went off to see what Martha Stewart suggested. I love to decorate items, but not to cook them! So after looking at 30 beauty shots of decorated cupcakes – I knew I was going to make baseball cupcakes for my Red Sox fan of a husband. I came to the final conclusion of Red Velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. I noticed on the Food Network website that Paula Deen has the same recipe and did a side by side comparison. They were ALMOST identical with variations of some important chemical combinations such as: baking soda, vinegar and cocoa powder. I regularly watch Alton Brown’s Good Eats Show (a favorite show of my husband’s) and knew that these are very important components that shouldn’t be played with. But I didn’t care. I ended up taking the average of both recipes and figured if these are horrible – well I hate cooking anyway!! With some tips from other cookers in the comments pages, I also took their advice into account. My husband should know better than to make me do this without Betty!

As I was cooking, my first mistake was in making the buttermilk. They didn’t have any in the grocery store, so I was forced to make it myself. Buttermilk can be made at home by combining milk and vinegar (about 1 cup of milk to 1 tsp of vinegar; and don’t forget to set the milk and vinegar aside so they can mix for 5 minutes before adding to batter). I had some fancy Vermont apple vinegar in reaching distance. And I had a gallon of white vinegar upstairs in the laundry room by the bleach. You can only guess which I chose to use. My husband informed me that the white version has more acid which is needed to make the buttermilk. So I sprinkled some in after he went and got it. The mistake I learned, was to not pour liquid in a measuring cup over the item your going to add it to. Because when it spills over you have no idea how much went in! Let that be a lesson for you… By the way, I’m not convinced the apple vs white vinegar made a difference.

In the end, I realized my cooking style is more like Paula Deen’s. She just gives you a list and says mix. She also uses items you can find in the grocery store, but more importantly in the quantities that you can buy it in. I don’t like left-overs of an item which Martha was trying to sell me. Martha was also too nitty gritty about what order to mix things in, and asked for a specific gel-paste food coloring not found easily. I didn’t know I had more of a Southern style of cooking rather than a New England style!

Here are the two links for the recipe’s I mixed:

Martha’s Red Velvet Cupcakes

Paula’s Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

So how did my concoction taste?

Genna's Cupcake Success, Adorable Red Sox Baseball Cupcakes

Everyone loved them and were impressed I made them from scratch. The Paula Deen frosting was superb. The cake was on the greasy side like reviewers had mentioned. I had even decreased the amount of oil and it didn’t make a big enough difference. But, I was glad I used foil lined paper cups because nobody else noticed the greasy papers!

Good luck to you fellow bakers and non-bakers out there! And don’t take advice from me – take it from Allison.

- Genna Drazen

The talented Genna Drazen

Genna Drazen is a talented graphic designer, marketer, artist and super-mom. She is also a fellow Flagler College alumni. Genna resides in Maryland with her beautiful family.

Celebrating Soup for National Soup Month, Spicy Pumpkin Soup with Shrimp

We periodically fall back on a few favorite soup recipes this time of year. Chicken soup is our classic recipe that we make whenever we are looking for a healthy meal, but to also put that leftover chicken to use. But this week when I had some leftover chicken to use up, I wanted to venture out of my soup comfort zone. So I decided to try a spicy tortilla soup recipe. Wow, was I ever glad I did. I was surprised at how easy it was to blend all the ingredients and how flavorful the soup was. It is on my top ten list of favorite soups now.

After enjoying a bowl of thick tortilla soup I got to thinking. Every dish has a history. And I am sure there is a history for tortilla soup just like there is for chili. But what about the heritage of soup itself? I was surprised to learn that many historians consider soup to be the original fast food. In can be traced back to ancient Greece, where it was sold as a street food using lentils, peas and beans as the main ingredient. As a new member of a Greek family I can tell you that the Greeks take great pride in their ancient influence on modern culture. So I guess I was not really that surprised to learn that the Greeks had a hand in the early adoption of soup as a popular meal.

Ok, so that explains when and why soup first started to catch on, but what about the name? Why soup? Some think that it got its name because of the sound you make when you slurp it up. Others believe it had to do with the fact that it was often sopped up with bread, so from the Latin word suppa or sop – to soup. And one last theory is that it was derived from the “sup” in the word supper.

And finally a little more fact finding for you on the subject of soup in honor of January’s National Soup Month. Soups can be classified into two broad groups: clear soups and thick soups. The French classifications of clear soups are bouillon and consommé. Depending on which thickening agent is used, thick soups fall into several classifications:

• Purées, which are vegetable soups thickened with starch;
• Bisques, which are made from puréed shellfish or vegetables thickened with cream;
• Cream-based soups, which are thickened with cream or béchamel sauce;
• Veloutés, which are thickened with eggs, butter and cream.

Other ingredients commonly used to thicken soups and broths include rice, flour and grains. Soups are also very similar to stews, the generally accepted difference being that soups have more liquid than stews.

When you think about it, most soup recipes are really healthy for you, – well if you ignore the thick soups which contain cream and therefore more calories. The broth-based soups, chicken broth-based ones in particular, are the healthiest. It also is one of the most economical meals you can make because it can be made with just about any combination of ingredients. And sometimes that selection of ingredients can be closely tied into a region’s culture. The vast catalog of soup recipes spans all types of cuisine. Have you ever wondered why soup is such a common thread across all cultures? What other entrée can be translated to almost any cuisine? There are soup recipes with roots in almost every culture, making it a dish that is as simple to make is it is diverse. It can be enjoyed anytime of year, not just this month. So here is to soup, let us enjoy it for its healthy, flavorful and culturally diverse qualities.

Spread HOPE

The talented team at the Domestic Nest has generously offered to donate 100% of the sales of these beautifully handmade, repurposed leather bookmarks to Doctors Without Borders. You can find even more creative gifts at the Craft Hope for Haiti etsy shop. Here is another great collected list of reputable charities that are collecting for the Haiti relief effort:

Plant with Purpose

Doctors Without Borders

Partners in Health, Haiti Reborn, Yele Haiti and more

In the 7 days since the earthquake in Haiti, the news has been full of reports of terror. But it has also featured small rays of HOPE as people are reunited with loved ones, survivors are pulled from the ruins of buildings even as recent as yesterday and care begins to reach those in need. The real lesson here is that recovery will not be quick, we must keep the people of Haiti in our thoughts and prayers for days, months, even years to come. And whatever way we can contribute, every little bit counts.

Today I am sending a prayer for HOPE for the people of Haiti. I pray that even in their darkest hour, they can find a ray of HOPE.

As 2009 comes to an end and we make plans for the year ahead, it is a great time to reflect and to count our blessings. We feel truly thankful for all of our loving friends and family. We were blessed in so many ways this year. 2009 was a year full of ups and downs but we enjoyed every minute. We especially enjoyed the time that unemployment gave us to spend with each other and with friends and family. Thank you to all of our readers and thank you to our friends and family for your love and support.

Here is to a happy and healthy 2010!

Please leave us a comment and let us know what you are your thankful for, share a favorite memory from this past year or a goal for next year.

For many of us in the United States, New Year’s Eve parties conjure up memories of watching Dick Clark’s Rocking New Year’s Eve bash on television, sipping champagne at midnight, and unfortunately crowded bars and restaurants with ridiculous cover charges. I have long loathed that last one. To me, New Year’s Eve has been more about spending time with close friends and family, and of course that special someone to kiss at midnight. It has been less about needing to attend large parties and spending ridiculous amounts of money just to be there. Do not get me wrong, those events can be fun sometimes, but many times I would much rather be in a smaller setting ringing in the new year with the ones I love and not hundreds of strangers.

I think that is why a lot of people decide to create their own party and host it at home. Not only is it a lot more affordable, it also can be a more intimate event. And it can still be just as chic and fun as the trendiest clubs, if you take the time to decorate. And do not be afraid to ask guests to contribute to the menu. Hosting it as a pot luck can actually be a lot less work for the host and make guests feel like part of the planning committee. And let’s be honest, not all of our friends want to cook for the party, so task those guests with bringing other key ingredients like beverages.

New Year’s Eve should be a time to celebrate the past and look forward to the future. It should be a time when we let go of anything bad that happened in the past year and think of ways to live a better year ahead. And I think the biggest factor in creating successful New Year’s resolutions is to commit to something realistic. By setting small achievable goals, we will be more likely to follow through on them. As the party host, consider making those resolutions a fun activity for the party. Create some simple note cards in which your guests can self address an envelope and write their New Year’s resolution on the note card. Hold on to the cards and mail them to your friends a few months later. Sometimes all we need is a reminder to help us stay on track with our goals. You may even want to create a fun list of resolutions to inspire your guests to create resolutions that will be fun to keep. Make a list that has a good combination of funny resolutions, like “I promise to learn how to tell a funny joke”, and serious ones, such as “I promise to perform one selfless act this year”.

No matter how we spend the New Year’s Eve celebration, I hope that we take the time to celebrate all the things that we have to be thankful for. Especially our friends and family. Those are truly the greatest treasures one can ask for, they can buy you happiness in the form of laughter, support and unconditional love.

Recipes:

Black-Eyed Peas with Greens

Black-eyed peas are traditionally served in the southern Untied States on New Years Day in order to bring good luck for the year ahead. So why not serve them on New Years Eve too? This recipe was adapted from Real Simple and is quick and easy to prepare.

Serves 6 -8

Ingredients:

• 2 15 oz cans black-eyed peas, drained
• 2 tsp olive oil
• ½ lb ham steak, diced into ½ inch pieces (Hint: this is a great way to use those leftovers!)
• 2 bunches of Swiss chard or similar green, rinsed
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• 2 tsp balsamic vinegar

Preparation:

Place the black-eyed peas in a large mixing bowl and set aside. In a large pot heat 1 tsp of olive oil over medium-high heat, add the ham and cook just until browned. Transfer the ham to the bowl with the peas. Separate the Swiss chard stems from the leaves and slice both crosswise into 1 inch wide pieces. Heat 1 tsp olive oil over medium-high heat in the large pot, add the stems to the pot and cover, cook until softened. Then add the leaves to the pot, cover and cook until wilted, stirring occasionally. Transfer the greens to the mixing bowl. Add the salt, pepper and vinegar to the bowl and toss. Serve warm.

After Dinner Coffee Drink

Why not offer your guests something to make their after dinner cup of coffee more festive? This simple recipe will do just the trick. Also offer your guests a virgin cup of coffee as well for your non-drinkers and designated drivers.

Ingredients:

• 6 cups strongly brewed black coffee ( 1 cup per guest)
• ¼ Kahlúa liqueur
• ¾ cup Bailey’s Irish cream
• Whipped cream and chocolate shavings for garnish (optional)

Preparation:

In a large pitcher, combine the coffee, Kahlúa and Baileys. Pour into coffee cups. Offer whipped cream and chocolate shavings as additional toppings.

Tips for Hosting Your Own New Years Eve Potluck:

Hosting a New Years Eve celebration at home is a great opportunity to create an intimate party catering specifically to your groups likes and dislikes. And do not worry about asking your friends to contribute to the menu, they will be happy to participate.

Invitations – New Years Eve is one of the most popular party nights of the year, so send your invites early. With the holiday only 2 days away, you may find that using an online invitation service, such as Evite.com, to be the best option for you and your guests. Customize your Evite to your event and take advantage of the technology which allows you to have your guests create a party playlist and sign-up for their contributions to the party’s menu. Or make it very informal and simply make personal phone calls.

Decorations – Who says that just because the Christmas tree came down that the lights had to go with it? Use those white holiday lights to decorate your space. One creative idea we saw was to use bottomless hurricane lamps and coil the lights within the lamp. They make a luminous addition to any mantel or sideboard. Consider using other easy to find items like silver Hershey kisses and blue party blowers to fill vases or bowls. These can be creative and useful centerpieces for your table. No matter what decorations you go with, think plenty of intimate lighting and colors like royal blue, silver and gold.

Setup – The day before your party, try to set-up as much as you can, so you can be more relaxed on the day of your party. One or two days before the party, send your guests a reminder and ask them to confirm the dish they are bringing. Be sure to contact people individually if you asked people to bring specific items.

Menu – Before you send out your invites and ask people to make contributions to the menu, plan what you would like to serve. If you know you have dietary considerations to keep in mind, then plan those accordingly as well. Try to plan one item for each of the following and then assign one to yourself and to each of your guests:

• 

  Try creating a signature martini

  Celebration cocktails – this could be a champagne cocktail to be served with appetizers. It will be easier to keep your party on a budget if you create a signature cocktail. Have non-alcoholic beverages available as well. Note: as the host you should be prepared to have enough bubbly on hand for the midnight celebration, you may find that this is an easy area to delegate if the food items are already spoken for. The math:

  • One bottle of champagne= 5-6 servings
  • One bottle of wine= 4-5 servings
  • One liter of alcohol= 20-22 mixed drinks
  • An easy calculator would be to assume 1 drink per guest per hour of your event. Some will drink more and some will drink less, but that may help you plan by averaging it out. Take your groups drinking habits into consideration.
• A bread to be served with dinner
• 1 or 2 main dishes, such as Roast Chicken and Butternut Squash Lasagna
• 2 side dishes, such as Black-eyed Peas with Greens and a Salad or other vegetable
• A dessert
• An after dinner drink, such as Regular Coffee and a Coffee Cocktail

Activities –

• Keep your guests entertained throughout the night by having an activity table which features various costume masks, beads, tiaras etc.
• If your guests are singing type, consider renting a karaoke machine for after dinner.
• Plan music for your event for the following times: before dinner, during dinner and after dinner.
• Depending on your space you may also wish to have a fun holiday movie displayed on a blank wall using a projector, even without the sound of the movie playing your guests will enjoy the scenes of their favorite classic movies in the background.

Departures – as with any celebration where alcohol is served, make sure your guests have a designated driver or safe alternative home such as a cab. If you choose to provide party favors, consider a simple homemade gift. Here are a few great ideas from Martha Stewart that are fun and easy to create: Handmade Gifts from Martha Stewart.

Vote For Me!

Hi Friends, our furry family member, Hayley, has been entered into the Muttroplois photo contest. You can click on each photo once a day, per pet, between now and Dec. 17th to vote. The pet with the most votes will win the $1,000 grand prize. Hayley is really hoping to win so we will buy her even more goodies! Thanks for your support, visit the link below to cast your vote today!

Click here for Hayley’s page:

http://photocontest.muttropolis.com/photo.aspx?Id=851

Stones Into Schools

We met Dr. Greg last night! I was so excited to meet him, that my very patient husband and I waited in line for over an hour to have our copy of his new book signed. It was worth the wait! Our local bookstore, Warwicks, along with several other local groups organized an evening with the best selling author of Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson. His latest book, Stones Into Schools, was released on December 1, 2009. After reading Three Cups of Tea this past summer, I was eager to read Greg’s new book. Stones Into Schools picks up where Three Cups of Tea left off in his journey to promote peace.

There are several things that I took away from the presentation and book signing event yesterday evening. First of all, hearing Greg speak and meeting him in person reinforced his message for me. Change is not created by addressing the negative, it is inspired by hope. And in this case, the hope for peace specifically.

Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time

He spoke specifically about the subtitle of his first book. And talked about why the subtitle reads “one man’s mission to promote peace…” and not “one man’s mission to fight terrorism…”. What I also appreciated about meeting Greg in person is that I got to fully experience his brand. Let me explain. If you have read the books you know that Greg is a modest and often quiet person. He is not one to place emphasis on the material things in life and he does not particularly take pleasure from the sales aspect of his profession. Hearing him speak last night I took note of his mannerisms and appearance. He was dressed nicely but he did not dress the part of a well polished business person in a well tailored suit. That just isn’t part of the Greg Mortenson brand. Nor should it be, after all this is a man who gives tirelessly and selflessly to a higher cause. His work has been so influential that his books are now required reading for many military personnel and he has even recently been nominated for a Noble Peace Prize.

Image from Three Cups of Tea, Greg reading to school children

But appearances aside, the biggest illustration of the Greg Mortenson brand is the smile that he is always wearing and his strong bond with children. At last night’s event there was a group of school children in the front row. The children had raised over $2,500 for Greg’s Pennies for Peace organization. You could tell by the way that he spoke to and involved the children in his presentation that he truly does draw strength and inspiration from working with kids.

I also appreciated his message that we all can make a difference in our communities, and that there has been a bigger movement in recent years to make our communities a better place. One such example that he gave was about an 11 year old boy from Florida who created a non-profit called The Little Red Wagon Foundation. He raised thousands dollars to bring awareness to the issue of homelessness among kids in his city. Next year he plans to walk across the country to raise a million dollars to bring awareness to the issue across the country. He sounds like a truly remarkable kid.

Me with Greg Mortenson in La Jolla

When I finally got to meet Greg at the book signing, it was well worth the wait. I shared with him that as someone from Montana, I also appreciated hearing about his time in Montana as well. Even though it was almost 10pm and the line was still hours long behind us, he took the time to shake our hands and make us feel important. I think that is the charm of Dr. Greg, he has a calmness to him and an ability to connect with people on a very basic level. And in these days where we are all rushing from place to place and communicating mostly in digital worlds, Dr. Greg reminds us of the importance to actually spend time with people in person and build relationships. Thanks Dr. Greg, for all that you do.

Oh, and my apologies to the Warwicks crew, we told them we wanted to have my husband take a non-posed picture of Greg signing my book for me (posed pictures were not allowed), and somehow it turned into a posed photo. My face turned so red, I felt like I was breaking the rules! Sorry Warwicks! But while we are on that note, I have to say that Susan McBeth and her team that helped organize last night’s event are owed a huge round of thank yous for a fantastic evening. Here are the links to buy the books from Warwicks, as of last night they still had some signed copies of the children’s book Listen to the Wind, you may want to contact them to see what signed copies they might have left:

Stones Into Schools (hardcover)

Three Cups of Tea (paperback)

Three Cups of Tea- Young Readers Version (paperback)

Listen to the Wind (children’s edition of Three Cups of Tea)

Enter to win a handmade coffee cuff and coffee gift card!

The talented team at the Domestic Nest is conducting another fabulous giveaway this week.

Visit their blog post here for the giveaway and submit your comment before December 15th (12AM PST) for a chance to win.

The Domestic Nest

Besides being unique and creative, these coffee cuffs are the eco alternative to the paper ones. These would be a great gift for that ‘hard to buy for guy’ or your favorite latte lover.

Coconut Snowballs

Looking for an easy, creative and fun way to have ice cream already scooped for a party? Looking for an easy kitchen activity to make with your kids? This is super easy and saves you time when you are ready to serve the ice cream. And you can even offer “on the side” options at serving time to make these even tastier. Try a de-constructed Almond Joy by offering chocolate sauce and chopped almonds as toppings.

Recipe adapted from Real Simple. Makes 15-20 snowballs.

Ingredients

• ½ gallon French Vanilla or Vanilla Bean Ice Cream (homemade recommended)
• 1 14 oz package shredded sweetened coconut

Preparation

Place the coconut on a plate. Using a 1 ½ inch ice cream scoop, scoop the ice cream into balls and then roll the balls in the coconut. Place the balls in foil or mini muffin liners and set on a tray. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer until ready to serve. Serve along with chocolate and caramel sauce as optional toppings for your guests.