Spring Time Lemon Yogurt Cake

So last night I was watching Cutthroat Kitchen, my favorite food network show, and they had to make their take on a lemon bar. If you watch that show, you would know that they have the ability to sabotage others to try and beat them. In the final round it will usually get pretty funny. I like it because it shows how good the chefs really are, not just how well they can cook. In this episode, there were two guys, one of whom had $20,000, and the other had $4,000. So obviously the guy with $20,000 was going to buy most of the sabotages because he had more money than the other so he could outbid him on the items. When they started making the lemon bars, Alton brought out a fake tree and replaced the loser's basket of items with the tree which had the ingredients inside little lemon juice bottles. This just got me wondering what other lemon cakes and things would be good for the 'entering March' time of year. I started to surf the web and I came across this recipe on Food Network, and it is for a lemon yogurt cake. I was, and am, really in the mood for lemon-y things at the moment, and so this recipe was perfect!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1 1/3 cups sugar
3 extra-large eggs
3 tsp grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup pure vegetable oil
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF
Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2 inch loaf pan.
Line the bottom with parchment paper.
Grease and four the pan.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl.
In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup of sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla.
Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter,making sure it's all incorporated.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake fro about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes clean.
While the cake is baking, cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear.
Set aside.
When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan.
While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in.
Cool.
For the glaze, combine the confectioner's sugar and lemon juice and pour over the cake.

Image Curtesy of Barefoot Contessa

Beautifully Buttery Buttermilk Scones (And Also A lesson On How To Make A Proper Black Tea)

So as you may know if you have ever met me, I am British, which means that I have some habits that are different to y'all Americans. First, I drink tea. Lots of it. I have kind of stopped drinking tea ever since I went on a Paleo diet. As you know, a paleo diet cuts out milk, and in my tea, I drink English Breakfast Tea from Trader Joe's (my mother's favorite place to shop for food) and I boil the kettle (something my mother also loves to shop for), and then I pour the boiling water over the tea bag, and let it brew for maybe a couple minutes (maybe a longer or shorter time depending on how strong you like your tea). Once it has brewed, take the the tea bag out and pour in the milk. I usually put in enough for the tea to turn a beige-ish color. Anyway, now that y'all know how to make a proper black tea, How about I tell you how to make a scone. Hang on a sec, first let me tell you why I chose to write about scones. So my grandma came to stay with us a couple weeks ago, yes a couple weeks ago and yes, she is STILL HERE. Anyways, she came up to me and my older sister Charlotte last weekend and said "So it is mothers day on Sunday (that is not the American mother's day, the British one), so you guys should do something nice!" So then on mother's day, that Sunday, I didn't go skiing because I had to do a spanish project for Mrs. Aplanalp and when I went home my sister Charlotte was there because she drove home from the resort (she finally turned 16!) and so she wanted to make scones. Once they were done I ate one and thought that they were really good and decided to share the recipe with you.
So after you have now read this super long paragraph where I explained maybe too many things, here is your well deserved recipe by one of my favorite chefs, Delia Smith:

Ingredients (makes about 10 scones):

2-3 tablespoons of buttermilk (plus some extra for brushing the tops)
8 ounces (225 grams) of self raising flour, plus a little extra for dusting
A pinch of salt
3 ounces (75 grams) of butter at room temperature
1 1/2 ounces (40 grams) of golden caster sugar

Method:

Preheat the oven to 425ºFarenheit.
Sift the flour and salt into a bowl and then rub the butter gently into the mixture. Do this until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs.
Next add the sugar.
Now, you will want to beat the egg and 2 tablespoons of the buttermilk together and begin to add this to the rest of the mixture using a palette knife.
Once it begins to come together, finish it off with your hands (it should be soft, but not sticky).
Once the dough has been formed into a ball, put it onto a lightly floured surface, and roll it out into a circle that is no less than 1 inch thick.
Cut out the scones by placing the cutter onto the dough and giving it a sharp tap, but make sure that you don't twist it and you just lift it up and push the dough out.
Once you can no longer cut another scone out, roll the remaining dough into a ball and roll it out so that it is 1 inch thick again.
Continue this process until it is no longer possible to cut out anymore scones.
Place the scones onto a baking tray and brush them lightly with the buttermilk and dust with  little bit of flour.
Bake them on the top shelf for 10-12 minutes, or until they are well risen and golden brown.
When you take them out of the oven, place them on a wire rack to cool.

Image courtesy of Tales From A Happy House

The Totally Not Boring Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie

So I know when you read the title you totally just wanted to read this recipe about totally not boring oatmeal chocolate chip cookies right, and I'm not sorry to say that I won't let you down.  This cookie is not only delicious, but it is also, wait for it, totally not boring! When you make this totally not boring, and delicious, oatmeal chocolate chip cookie, you will feel the flavors explode in your mouth. As Remy tells his brother Emile in Ratatouille,
Remy: I have got to to teach you about food. Close your eyes.
            Now take a bite of . . .  No! No! No!
            Don't just hork it down!
Emile: Too late.
Remy: Here.
            Chew it slowly.
            Only think about the taste.
            See?
Emile: Not Really.
Remy: Creamy, salty sweet, an oaky nuttiness.
            You detect that?
Emile: Oh, I'm detecting nuttiness.
Remy: Close your eyes. Now taste this.
            Whole different thing right?
            Sweet, crisp, slight tang on the finish.
Although Ratatouille is just a cartoon, Remy does make some good points about how you need to enjoy the food as you eat because, too many a time, we have just guzzled down a cookie in less than 30 seconds as Emile does, and never end up actually tasting the flavors. S I hope you enjoy these cookies, and taste every flavor of the oatmeal, and chocolate chips in this cookie.


Ingredients:

2 cups (10 oz) of all-purpose flower]
1 teaspoon of baking soda
3/4 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
1 cup (8 oz/2sticks) of unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (7 oz) of granulated sugar
1 cup (7 oz) of packed light brown sugar
2 eggs at room temperature
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
2 3/4 (9 oz) of rolled oats
1 cup (6 oz) of bittersweet chocolate chips or chunks
1 cup (6 oz) of milk chocolate chips or chunks

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Measure the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a bowl and whisk it to combine.

Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on the medium speed for 3-5 minutes, until lighter in color and fluffy. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl several times during the process.

While the mixer is running, crack the eggs into a liquid measuring cup and add the vanilla extract. Reduce the speed to low and then slowly pour in the eggs, letting them fall in one at a time and incorporating the first one entirely before adding the next.Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl once during the process.

Gradually add the dry ingredients (in 2-3 additions) with the mixer on low speed. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl once to fully incorporate the butter and sugar. Combine the oats and chocolate in the same bowl used for the dry ingredients, then add them to the dough with the mixer on low speed, mixing just until everything is well distributed. (Sometimes it is easier to finish mixing with a rubber spatula.)

Scoop the dough into balls the size of ping pong balls. Place the dough balls onto the prepared pans (about 6 per pan), then press them into 1/2 inch thick disks.

Bake them for 10 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time. The edges of the cookies should be golden brown, while the centers will appear blonde and slightly underdone.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets.

Image Curtesy of Inspired2cook

I hope you enjoyed making, (and eating) your totally not boring oatmeal chocolate chip cookies! For more expert tips and delicious recipes, check back next week at themoodfoods!

Carrot And Coriander Soup

When was the last time you made a soup and everyone who ate it said, "Oooo, this is delicious, is there anymore?" I know that I am not yet a mom, so I can't really say that I have cooked for my children, because lets face it, I'm still thirteen, but I am almost fourteen! Only two more months, YAY! Anyway, back to food, I am still a teenager, but I have made dinner at home a bunch of times, and believe it or not, it is really fun! The best part is when I put it on the table, and even my eight year old brother says "That smells delicious Daisy." One of my personal favorite soups to make is a Carrot and Coriander, and it is such a simple recipe, I could make it in my sleep. For a lot of soups that I like to make, I will usually go to the Allrecipes website, but today I am using the New Covent Garden's Book of Soups.

The ingredients that the New Covent Garden's Book of Soups has are:

• 25 grams(1oz) butter
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed 
• 550 grams(1 1/4 lb) carrots
• 450 grams(1 lb) of which are roughly chopped
• 110 grams(4 oz) of which are coarsely grated
• 1 liter(1 3/4 pint) vegetable stock
• a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• 1tablespoon chopped fresh coriander
• 150 mL(1/4 pint) single cream
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

The only other things you need are garnishes:

• 150 mL(1/4pint) yogurt
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander

I personally leave out the yogurt just because I like it better plain, but I know that some people do like it with yogurt. I also only put a little bit of coriander, a pinch or two of fresh chopped coriander on each bowl.

The preparation and cooking time comes to a total of 40 minutes, and this recipe will serve about six servings.

To start off, you melt the butter in a covered saucepan and cook the onion and garlic until they are soft, without coloring. Then you add the roughly chopped carrots, vegetable stock, and nutmeg. You cover the pan and bring it to a boil and let it simmer gently until the veggies are tender. let them cool for a bit and then puree them in a liquidizer (I use a vitimix blender) and then put the soup in a clean saucepan and stir in the grated carrots, coriander, and cream. Taste the soup to see if it needs any salt or pepper and then if you want to put yogurt in this is when you add it and the coriander on top.

This is one of my all time favorite soup recipes and I highly suggest that you try it.

Image Curtesy Of My French Country Home