use real butter

I’ve been able to resume my cardio workouts this week and it feels great. It helps alleviate some of the lingering side effects. My body and mind are much happier for it too, albeit a little tuckered out. That’s okay with me. I am a firm believer in the no pain, no gain mantra. Did I mention that I’ve dropped two sizes? Crazy - I know. My oncologist mentioned that I hadn’t gained any weight as most of his chemo patients tend to. It’s hard to gain weight when food 1) tastes like ass and 2) plays havoc on your insides. At least the endorphins from my workouts are flowing - w00t!

Jeremy made it home late this afternoon. Even though I don’t get bent out of shape when he’s on travel, it’s always nice to see my best friend again. Some folks require time away from their partner, but we can get along 24/7 indefinitely and that’s a good thing to know. Actually, we can work together 24/7 in adverse conditions - read: vacation. I literally trust him with my life (well, he used to be high-angle Search and Rescue).

It’s now 1 am and Jeremy just woke up to operate that giant radio telescope… My astrophysicist is hot. [I was about to say astrophysicists are hot, but that is a totally untrue and completely laughable statement.]

This afternoon, I made a recipe I’ve been wanting to post for a while. I usually make these in small quantities when I need to use up leftover dough from Chinese dumplings. It’s something my mom always used to do when I was little. I never learned how to make these outright from my mom - the technique just sunk into my head with all of my visual memories of my childhood. Same with the dumplings. To see how the dough is made, I’ll refer you to the dumpling recipe.

chopped scallions

let the dough sit for 30 minutes under a damp cloth

We never ordered scallion pancakes at dim sum because my parents could make them much better at home. I follow the same general philosophy to this day - if I can make something at home with competence, then I don’t order it when dining out (because I’m usually disappointed).

shape the hunks of dough into racquetball-sized rounds

roll the dough out into a thin pancake

The scallion pancakes are an order of magnitude easier to make than the dumplings. They are also faster and far more forgiving of screw ups.

spread a thin layer of oil over the pancake

sprinkle salt

I discovered that I tend to underestimate the amount of salt needed in the pancake. I used to shake out what I thought was necessary and would realize it wasn’t salty enough after all was said and done. Now, I typically add more than most others would. Your mileage may vary, so the first time you try this recipe, cook the first pancake and taste it so you can adjust the rest accordingly.

sprinkle scallions then roll the pancake like a rug

roll it up like a snail

Rolling out the pancake can get a tad messy at this point because little pockets of air will burst and spew oil in the direction the pin is rolling.

roll out the pancake to 1/8th inch thickness

pan-fry in a little oil on both sides until golden

Frying the pancakes takes some time because I fry each side in about a tablespoon of oil over medium-low flame until crisp and golden. When they are done, you can serve them immediately or toast them up in the oven. Slice into quarters or eighths.

whole scallion pancakes

slice and serve

Chinese Scallion Pancakes

2 cups flour
1/2 cup warm water
1 bunch scallions, finely chopped
vegetable oil
salt

Make the dough, Method 1: Place the flour in the work bowl of a food processor with the dough blade. Run the processor and pour the warm water in until incorporated. Pour the contents into a sturdy bowl or onto a work surface and knead until uniform and smooth. The dough should be firm and silky to the touch and not sticky.[Note: it’s better to have a moist dough and have to incorporate more flour than to have a dry and pilling dough and have to incorporate more water).

Make the dough, Method 2 (my mom’s instructions): In a large bowl mix flour with 1/4 cup of water and stir until water is absorbed. Continue adding water one teaspoon at a time and mixing thoroughly until dough pulls away from sides of bowl. We want a firm dough that is barely sticky to the touch.

Both dough methods: Knead the dough about twenty strokes then cover with a damp towel for 15 minutes. Take the dough and form a flattened dome. Cut into 5 or 6 pieces of equal size. Roll the pieces into balls.

Place a ball of dough on a well-floured work surface and roll out into a thin circle (about 1/16th inch thickness). Spread a teaspoon of oil evenly over the pancake (use more if needed). Sprinkle salt evenly over the pancake. Sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of scallions over the pancake. Roll the pancake up from one end like a rug, then curl the roll around in a spiral and pinch the end to the roll so it stays wrapped. With the palm of your hand, press the roll from the top to flatten it. Roll the pancake out to 1/8th inch thickness. Heat a tablespoon of oil on a flat, wide pan over a medium-low to medium flame until hot. Set the pancake in the oil and let fry until the bottom is crisp and golden. Flip the pancake, adding more oil as needed. Remove from heat and serve immediately or reheat in the oven.

The Daring Bakers strike again, this time with cheesecake pops!

we knead to bake

Elle of Feeding My Enthusiasms and Deborah of Taste and Tell are our lovely co-hosts this month and they selected this recipe from Jill O’Connor’s Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey.

beat the eggs into the cream cheese and sugar

oven-ready batter, pre water bath

Seeing as no one in this house is a cheesecake fan and that I have trouble eating during my chemo, I almost bailed on this one. Yeah, I know… But math is my friend and I took a cue from Ashley of eat me, delicious who successfully reduced the recipe by a fifth. I mean, I was willing to participate, but not with 4 dozen freaking cheesecake pops… I baked the cheesecake batter in two small ramekins.

what a craptastic mess

taking great joy in skewering these sticky bastards

I started yesterday afternoon, the day before the deadline. I figured I’d be cutting it close with all of the refrigeration and freezing required. I let the ramekins cool in the fridge overnight. Then this morning at 4:30, I got fabulously ill and worried that I wouldn’t be able to finish the pops this morning (well, I worried that I might suffocate in the night too). But I rallied, I swore a lot, and I made a huge mess in my kitchen. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think cheesecake was meant to be scooped, let alone stuck with a stick.

i used semi-sweet chips for the coating

dippity dip

Normally, if it’s a recipe I’m jazzed about, I’ll go the distance and spring for Valrhona or some other lovely chocolate. Because I was not loving this recipe from the start, I bought generic Nestle semi-sweet chips for the coating and nuked it on half-power, stirring the shortening into the warm chocolate at the end. It’s a thick glaze which sets up in about 5 seconds on the frozen cheesecake balls. Since I didn’t want to purchase a bag of lolly sticks (I was pretty ornery about this one, wasn’t I?), I used some bamboo skewers we had on hand.

there was one casualty - just too soft

most of them held up just fine

The nice thing about using skewers was that the sharp ends stuck nicely in my styrofoam base so the pops could set up easily. The bad thing about the skewers was that the sharp ends also stuck nicely into my hand at times… Since the chocolate firms up in no time flat, I had to work quickly on rolling a few in chopped pistachio nuts.

drizzled with white chocolate

The end products are totally adorable and I hope my neighbors will dig on these because I don’t want to see the pops ever again. That was fun, but definitely not my thing. I hope all of you DBers know how much I freaking love you guys because I was not wanting to finish this challenge this morning…

jolly little lollies

a bouquet for you… no really

To see the different cheesecake pops cropping up all over the foodblogosphere, check out the Daring Bakers Blogroll. I think we’ve reached something like a billion members now. I’d also like to thank Lis, Ivonne, Andy, and Katrina for the new and wonderful DB website which doesn’t put me in the foulest of moods the way freaking Blogger did. Thank YOU!! xxoo

Cheesecake Pops
Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey by Jill O’Connor
makes 30–40 pops

5 8-oz pkgs cream cheese, room temperature
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
5 large eggs
2 egg yolks
2 tsps pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup heavy cream

boiling water as needed
thirty-forty 8-inch lollipop sticks

1 lb chocolate, finely chopped
2 tbsp vegetable shortening
assorted decorations: chopped nuts, colored jimmies, crushed peppermints, mini chocolate chips, sanding sugars, dragees (optional)

Position oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Set some water to boil. In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, flour, and salt until smooth. If using a mixer, mix on low speed. Add the whole eggs and the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well (but still at low speed) after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and cream. Grease a 10-inch cake pan (not a springform pan), and pour the batter into the cake pan. Place the pan in a larger roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with the boiling water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake until the cheesecake is firm and slightly golden on top, 35 to 45 minutes. Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and cool to room temperature. Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until very cold, at least 3 hours or up to overnight. When the cheesecake is cold and very firm, scoop the cheesecake into 2-ounce balls and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Carefully insert a lollipop stick into each cheesecake ball. Freeze the cheesecake pops, uncovered, until very hard, at least 1 – 2 hours.

When the cheesecake pops are frozen and ready for dipping, prepare the chocolate. In the top of a double boiler, set over simmering water, or in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, heat half the chocolate and half the shortening, stirring often, until chocolate is melted and chocolate and shortening are combined. Stir until completely smooth. Do not heat the chocolate too much or your chocolate will lose it’s shine after it has dried. Save the rest of the chocolate and shortening for later dipping, or use another type of chocolate for variety. Alternately, you can microwave the same amount of chocolate coating pieces on high at 30 second intervals, stirring until smooth.

Quickly dip a frozen cheesecake pop in the melted chocolate, swirling quickly to coat it completely. Shake off any excess into the melted chocolate. If you like, you can now roll the pops quickly in optional decorations. You can also drizzle them with a contrasting color of melted chocolate (dark chocolate drizzled over milk chocolate or white chocolate over dark chocolate, etc.) Place the pop on a clean parchment paper-lined baking sheet to set. Repeat with remaining pops, melting more chocolate and shortening (or confectionary chocolate pieces) as needed.

Refrigerate the pops for up to 24 hours, until ready to serve.

I shuffled through a half inch of snow this morning on my way out the door. I told you the weather in April is psycho around here. Halfway down the canyon to Boulder, the sun was shining as tiny grauple pelted the windshield. Yay spring! I met with Beth for brekkie at the South Side Walnut Café. The menu is très Boulder with plenty of veggie, vegan, and omnivore eats on the menu. I chose the quiche. I chose poorly. The quiche was fine, but my digestive system can’t handle green chiles quite as well as it does when healthy. Okay, but it’s the company that matters most.

Just a few days ago, Boulder was full of nearly naked people sauntering about the downtown pedestrian mall because of the warm temperatures. Today, folks donned hats and down jackets to ward off the cold, wind, and light snow. It looked like a typical day in January at the Boulder Farmers’ Market - except the market isn’t open in January…

love the cello

My first exposure to a farmers’ market was in Pasadena, California at PHS. Boat loads of produce, fresh fish, breads and baked goods, honey, plants, tamales (oh, the tamales!). One of my favorite things to buy was a 10 lb. bag of oranges for $2. These oranges were green-skinned from the San Joaquin Valley, but when you sliced them open you were treated to jewel orange flesh that was as sweet as sugar and juicy beyond imagination. Perfect for those weekend grass double volleyball tourneys.

a splash of floral color

When we moved to Ithaca, New York, I was surprised to learn that the farmers’ market (like most) is seasonal. That is, it isn’t open year-round. I guess living in Southern California warps your perspective on the seasons seeing as there are only two: pleasant and bloody hot - and things grow year round. I have to say I was rather disappointed in the Ithaca Farmers’ Market. It was heavily weighted in the arts and crafts vendors than people selling actual food. Well, people sold prepared food, but the presence of farmed produce was paltry in comparison to the bounty of So Cal.

the market was busy considering the unseasonable cold

And then we find ourselves in Boulder with a farmers’ market that appears to be an integration of the Pasadena and Ithaca markets with a healthy dose of Boulder activism and weirdness tossed in for good measure. Boulder is also a seasonal market, having just opened a few weeks ago it closes in the fall. Organic is big here. You can buy grass-fed bison and elk meat. One of the booths sells microbe brew - for plants! There is a gluten-free bakery stand as well.

a local csa

Beth and I decided to mosey on through the market after brekkie. One of the reasons Jeremy and I rarely make it to the Boulder Farmers’ Market is because we’re usually hoofing it in the mountains before the Crack Ass of Dawn on Saturdays. But Jeremy’s off mentoring one of his grad students and an undergrad on a giant radio dish across the country this weekend. So it was a nice chance to chill with Beth, who is one of the more mellow people I know.

she is also a little crazy

We wandered through the prepared food vendors’ section and sort of wished we hadn’t eaten breakfast. Each booth elicited a “mmmmmm… hot dogs” or “mmmmmm… dumplings” or “mmmmmm… falafel” or “mmmmmm… tamales” from one or both of us. Beth hovered around the Haystack Mountain tent as did everyone else for samples of their fantastic goat cheese. Good stuff. Local.

beth samples at one of the cheese tents

I’m looking forward to the market as the season matures and brings those lovely stone fruits from the western slope, melons, Asian greens, and I’ll be all over the heirloom tomatoes. It was snowing back home as I topped the canyon and got a splendid view of our beloved (but closed) local ski hill.

it looks skiable to me