Pumpkin Chocolate Loaf

 

An Introduction

    Each year of my childhood, autumn brought many things: cooler weather, school, anticipation for the holidays, and perhaps most important, the return of my mother’s pumpkin bread.  Once October rolled around, my mom churned out loaf after loaf of her famous bread: perfectly moist, wonderfully spiced, just the right breakfast for chilly fall mornings.  After 18 years of the same fall-time tradition, one of the most bizarre parts of my transition to college this year was a sudden and severe lack of pumpkin bread.  Thus, this past fall, I gathered my own ingredients for the first time and set out to make my own batch of pumpkin bread.  With my roommate to help me, I got the keys to my dorm kitchen and began my work.  

    Halfway into preparation, my roommate posed an idea which changed my viewpoint on the recipe completely: why not add some chocolate chips?  With enough batter to make 10 loaves, I figured we might dare to make the recipe even better.  Therefore, I added half a cup of chocolate chips to half of my batter, we baked the bread normally, and anxiously awaited what was to come.

    After the loaves baked and cooled, we each cut ourselves a slice.  I was greeted with not only the taste of my childhood, but also a subtle extra layer of sweetness: the decadent chocolate.  From this point forward, I knew one thing: pumpkin bread would never be the same.

 

Supplies

10 mini aluminum foil pans [Can be bought at WalMart]

2 large mixing bowls

mixing spoons

Baker’s Joy

cookie sheet [optional]

gravy ladle [optional]

 

Ingredients

Dry:

3 c. white sugar

3 tsp. baking soda

3 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

3.5 c. all-purpose flour

Wet:

1 c. oil of choice [we use canola]

2/3 c. water

4 eggs [pre-beaten; slightly fluffy]

2 c. canned pumpkin puree

1 c. mini chocolate chips

Steps

Mix together white sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and all-purpose flour in a large mixing bowl.  In a separate bowl, thoroughly mix oil, water, eggs and pumpkin puree.  Adding in a cup of the dry mixture at a time, gradually mix the two bowls together.  After the dry mixture is well incorporated into the wet mixture, add in the mini chocolate chips.  Once mixed together, place the aluminum pans on a cookie sheet and grease the pans.  Using a gravy ladle, place the batter into the pans, leaving approximately ¼ of an inch at the top of the pans.  Place the pans into the oven and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the loaf clean.  Wait 20 minutes for the loaves to cool and serve each slice with a pat of butter.

 

Growing up, my favorite chicken dish was always chicken piccata. Piccata is traditionally an Italian veal dish, however most Americans prefer to use chicken. Piccata literally means “larded” in Italian but when talking about food it usually means “sliced, sautéed, and served in a sauce containing lemon, butter and spices”. The first time I had the dish was when I was about 7 or 8 years old at a California Pizza Kitchen. All these years later, if I ever go to a restaurant and see it on the menu, I order it. Because I loved it so much, my mom always made it for my sister and me and it became a regular meal in our household. I had never made the dish myself until recently and now that I know how to, I can always have a meal that I know I will enjoy.

Ingredients (Yields 1 Serving):

• 1⁄2 boneless skinless chicken breast, butterflied and then cut in half
• 1⁄4 to taste sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 1⁄4 to taste all-purpose flour, for dredging
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1⁄4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1⁄8 cup fresh lemon juice 
• 1⁄8 cup chicken stock
• 1⁄16 cup capers
• 1⁄8 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess.
2. In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 3 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add 2 pieces of chicken and cook for 3 minutes. When chicken is browned, flip and cook other side for 3 minutes. Remove and transfer to plate. Melt 2 more tablespoons butter and add another 2 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add the other 2 pieces of chicken and brown both sides in same manner. Remove pan from heat and add chicken to the plate.
3. Into the pan add the lemon juice, stock and capers. Return to stove and bring to boil, scraping up brown bits from the pan for extra flavor. Check for seasoning. Return all the chicken to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove chicken to platter. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to sauce and whisk vigorously. Pour sauce over chicken and garnish with parsley.

 

 

Adapted from http://www.food.com/recipe/chicken-piccata-giada-de-laurentiis-357019?mode=us&st=true&scaleto=1&photo=228167

When I first made these noodles it could not have come at a better time. It was the first semester of my junior year and after a whole school year of dry chicken breasts and frozen chicken nuggets, I had grown tired of the whole “I’m an adult and I can cook on my own” thing. What I wanted was simple. I wanted to cook cheap, delicious meals, and I didn’t want to spend exorbitant amounts of time cooking them either.  I decided to search online for ideas. Originally, I set out to determine how to emulate Kung Pao chicken from Pei Wei, but after realizing that any viable choice involved way too much time and effort, I settled on simply looking at Asian recipes. That’s when I stumbled across a recipe on the Budget Bytes website for spicy Asian noodles. I made them the first time and I was hooked. I added a meat (chicken) so that the meal would be more filling and nutritious. The combination of the noodles and chicken is really delicious and will definitely add some flavor to your life!

 

Noodles:

4 oz. (1/3 package) lo mein noodles

2 Tbsp. butter

1 egg

1 Tbsp brown sugar

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp sriracha (you can use more or less depending on how spicy you want it)

¼ Tsp. Crushed red pepper flakes

 

Chicken:

2 medium sized chicken breasts

1 bottle of Oy Vey Spicy and Sweet Chili Heat marinade

 

 

Directions:

Chicken:

1. Place two medium sized chicken breasts in a Ziploc bag. Add enough of the marinade to thoroughly coat all sides of the chicken breasts.
2. Let them marinade for 4-5 hours (the longer the better- the more flavorful they will be!)
3. Cook chicken in a non-stick baking dish lined with foil at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until done.

 

Noodles:

1. First, take a large pot and fill it half full of water. Put it on the stove and begin to boil it.
2. While the water is heating up, go ahead and prepare the sauce for the noodles. Take a small bowl and combine the brown sugar, soy sauce, and sriracha. Stir them together until they are well-blended (hint: there should be no graininess from the brown sugar)
3. By this point, the water should be boiling. Add the noodles into the pot and cook for about 6 minutes (or according to package).
4. In a large pan, melt the butter over medium heat on the stove. As the butter is melting, sprinkle the red pepper flakes into the pan. Crack the egg into the pan and stir around until it has been scrambled. Turn off the heat once the egg has cooked.
5. Once the noodles are done cooking (they should be very tender,) drain all the water and add the noodles to the same pan with the egg. Put the heat on very low so that the food will stay warm.
6. After adding the noodles, add the sauce as well. Stir pan until the noodles have been sufficiently coated with sauce. Once the noodles have been coated, they are done!

 

Now, serve the chicken on top of the noodles and most importantly, enjoy!

 

 

Adapted from: https://www.budgetbytes.com/2012/08/spicy-noodles/

Notes:

If you have a hard time finding lo mein noodles, try looking in the cultural cuisine aisle at the grocery store. It took me a really long time to find them the first time but eventually I did. The chicken marinade pairs really nicely with the flavors from the noodles, but you don’t have to use that specific one. There are lots of Asian sweet-and-spicy marinades that could be used, and sometimes I coat the chicken in the same sauce as the noodles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sweet Potato Hash

Sweet potato hash,

The wonderful mixture of

Savory and sweet.

Makes 2 servings

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time 40 minutes

Cost of all the ingredients except for spices and olive oil: $11.56

Cost for meal based on what you use: $4.42

Equipment needed: potato peeler, foil, large pan, large skillet, sharp knife

Ingredients:

Sweet Potatoes

• 2 medium sweet potatoes
• ½ teaspoon of paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste

Toppings

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• ½ an onion chopped
• 4 ounces sliced mushrooms
• 5 ounces of ground sausage
• ¼ cup of mozzarella cheese
• 2 eggs

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 450°F
• Peel and chop sweet potatoes into bite size pieces
• Place sweet potatoes on a foil-covered pan coat in olive top and spices
• Cook potatoes for 30-35 minutes or until crisp

Wait 20 minutes after you put the potatoes in the oven to start cooking the rest of the meal:

• Put onions in skillet with olive oil
• Cook for 2-3 minutes on medium heat and add mushrooms, stir occasionally
• Break sausage up into small pieces, then put sausage in pan
• Cook until sausage is finished cooking and then turn stove off
• In separate pan cook eggs over easy. Crack eggs in pan and cook on medium heat until the egg whites are firm, but the yolks are still runny.
• When potatoes are done combine the potatoes and toppings
• Sprinkle with cheese
• Put one egg on top of each serving
• Enjoy!

Good recipes hook me with a picture that makes me forget all my fears and worries. All I can think about is how soon I can eat all of the food. After the spectacular picture comes a title followed by a description. Whether short or long the description generally relays the significance that the author has to the particular dish. It might be an explanation of what goes well with the dish, the cultural background and history of the dish or a fun, personal anecdote from the author about the recipe. Also near in proximity to the title is generally the amount of servings the recipe makes and the amount of time it takes to make the recipe. After that comes the ingredients and the measurements needed of each ingredient. After the list of ingredients come the directions necessary to make the dish.

Authors write recipes in order to help other people experience food. Whether they are writing to help people on a budget or working class families stay well fed under $4.00 a day (Good and Cheap) or to nostalgically recreate a meal that is has a personal meaning to them (From My Mother’s Kitchen: Birthday Cake). With Good and Cheap, Brown is trying to make healthy food very accessible to people who don’t have time to make a budget for affordable, healthy food. Brown is taking an economic approach to helping people experience food and it is very specific to the context around her. On the other hand you have people who are nostalgically trying to recreate recipes that have a sentimental place in their hearts. The motivations for writing recipes are as vast as the motivation for people to write stories, essays, poems. Recipes and the rhetoric of food can be very personal and cultural and can also be very impersonal and universal. The author through the description communicates the motivation and audience. The directions and ingredients needed can also help to identify the audience that is targeted. If there are many obscure or culture specific ingredients needed then it is more targeted to a specific audience.

The author needs to be a good guide – that is what separates a good recipe from a bad recipe. How do we navigate different cultural foods? How do we navigate the temperature and time needed to make sure the chicken is cooked perfectly? How do we navigate the spice rack? A good recipe is written by a good guide.

 

http://www.biggirlssmallkitchen.com/2009/10/from-my-mothers-kitchen-birthday-cake.html

https://cookbooks.leannebrown.com/good-and-cheap.pdf

 

All recipes should be made with the thought of who the audience is going to be. Important details on all of the ingredients and supplies to create the dish is very necessary and for me, pictures are also a huge help. I believe that going into detail on each ingredient is important for the audience so that they can get a clear understanding for what they are about to make. While all recipes are different, the purpose of them are always the same. The goal is to create a perfect and clear guide to readers on how to create their food. Step by step instructions are believed to be the best way to get the audience hooked. Often times when people are making food by looking at others recipes, they are rookies when it comes to cooking. Having a step by step guide makes it way easier for those new cooks and they enjoy their time making their food more. Authors who describe what they are making help readers by making them eager to get the job done. If I were an author, I would describe each ingredient with as much information as possible so that the audience is more intrigued.

My favorite dish is a tasty teriyaki chicken bowl. I picked “http://natashaskitchen.com/2015/12/11/easy-teriyaki-chicken/” to show a great technique as a cook for audience members. In the video, it shows a clear step by step guide on how to make teriyaki chicken. I think it is essential for readers to have a clear understanding of how to do everything in order so making a video to provide that is a great idea.

While I think most recipes are of good structure, there are definitely some out in the world that are not easy to follow. For instance, when a recipe is out of order it is expected for the audience to know how to make the dish when most of the time, the audience members trying to make the dish do not even make food following recipes very often. Many times there are hand-written books for recipes that are given to people who want to cook. A key issue with this sometimes is that handwriting may be bad and hard to read. Luckily, I believe that there are more good recipe books, videos and ways to share recipes out there than there are bad. I enjoy authors sharing their recipes very much as I think it is very interesting and fun to make new things. I look forward to making more in the near future thanks to this class!

Recipes.  A broad genre of work, they can involve everything from a simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich to a complicated turducken.  Although varying in content, their purpose remains the same: to give instructions on how to synthesize ingredients and create a food.  Sometimes, they include a spin to a certain direction: cheaper foods, luxury items, authentic cultural cooking, homestyle, and many more, but they always are written to instruct.  Often, they include an introduction, a list of ingredients, a set of steps, and a photograph to illustrate what the finished product should look like.  However, sometimes these are omitted: for instance,  Marco Canora’s “How to Make Gnocchi” leaves out an ingredient list. Recipes use multiple step structures, for instance, they could be written as numerical steps, in bubbles of instruction, or occasionally in one large block of text.  This affects how people navigate the recipe, along with many other factors: sometimes, different parts of the text are written in different sizes of font indicating  varying levels of importance.  For instance, the biggest text is the name of the dish, the ingredient list and steps are in the middle, and the smallest is the yield.

Cookbooks and recipe websites usually include a plethora of recipes, organized by type of food (appetizers, main entrees, desserts) or by cuisine (American, French, Italian, etc). Sometimes, recipes are made as adaptations of others, for instance, Maricel Presilla’s “Grandmother Paquita’s Chunky Calabaza Puree” in Gran Cocina Latina.  The audience for recipes includes, simply, people who desire to make their own foods.  Often, this person is an upper middle class homemaker, but some cookbooks appeal to others. For example, Brown’s Good and Cheap book is targeted towards people looking for simple and inexpensive meals, such as people who are newly on their own and looking to budget their money.  Also, Σουηδός Μάγειρας’s “Old Fashioned Sokolatina”, published on cooklikegreeks.com, appeals to another audience: people who want to create an authentic cultural dish.

Recipes should, to be of good quality, include clear and detailed instruction to make the process of making the dish as foolproof as possible.  Bad recipes are often hard to follow, not well explained, and result in lots of mistakes.

Recipes, in general, serve one united purpose: to portray to an audience how to make food.  Although the format in which this is done varies from author to author, all food writing is essentially similar.  Recipes exist to inform and share information about one of the most integral parts of human life: preparing and eating food.

A recipe should at least include a list of portioned ingredients and instructions on how to properly use those ingredients to cook the dish. In my mind, a complete recipe should also include a name for the dish as well as a preface giving context to the dish, and serving suggestions. So, the ideal recipe for me follows this format: title, contextual preface, list of ingredients, step-by-step instructions, and finally a serving suggestion (how to serve the dish and what to serve it with). A low quality recipe may include a list of ingredients but not portions, or it may include the list of ingredients and a confusing set of instructions. I also believe that an ideal recipe has visuals to go along with it, whether it be a picture, a video, or a GIF. In fact, social media accounts that post GIF recipes have amassed tens and millions of followers.

The “Kung Pao Chicken” recipe from the Phoenix Claws and Jade Trees cookbook is an example of a perfect recipe, for me. Before the written part of the recipe even begins, there is a step-by-step visual of the cooking process, showing the reader the way the dish looks from the beginning to the end. The author then gives a short but succinct preface, giving cultural context by saying the “dish would not be recognized by anyone arriving in the United States from China” (Kho, 109). The recipe lists all the ingredients with portions, lists detailed instructions, and provides a serving suggestion as well.

On allrecipes.com, one of the most popular online recipes, one of the current top recipes is for a dish called “Easy Smoked Sausage Skillet.” The preface to the recipe simply reads “Dinner’s on the table in no time with this one-skillet sausage and veggie dish served over rice.” It’s not that this is necessarily a bad recipe because of this, but the recipe lacks a certain type of context and excitement because of the minimalist preface. However, you can find a great amount of information and variations on the dish from the user comments section.

While the “Kung Pao Chicken” recipe is the superior recipe for me, it all depends on the audience. The author of the “Easy Sausage Skillet” recipe wrote the recipe for a broader audience looking for a quick and easy dish to serve for dinner. The author of the “Kung Pao Chicken Recipe” most likely wrote the recipe for those more experienced in the kitchen, and those with the time, money and energy to make recipes from a unique cookbook.  It is much harder to find the “Kung Pao Chicken” recipe than it is to find the “Easy Sausage Skillet Recipe”; one is on the main page of a top recipe website, and one is on page 109 of a physical cookbook. It is important to note that this resource is a paid resource, as one has to purchase the cookbook to get access to the “Kung Pao Chicken” recipe.

The “Kung Pao Chicken” recipe may seem to be the better, more complete recipe, but for all I know, the “Easy Sausage Skillet” might just be tastier. At the end of the day, if a recipe gives you the right information to make a dish, and that dish is good, then the recipe has served a meaningful purpose.

Sources: Phoenix Claws and Jade Trees by Kian Lam Kho; http://allrecipes.com/recipe/245932/easy-smoked-sausage-skillet/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/245932/easy-smoked-sausage-skillet/?internalSource=rotd&referringContentType=home%20page&clickId=cardslot%201

Recipe is one unique style of writings that has existed for a long time. Recipe does have big frame but its style varies by the author. One important part in recipe is an introduction. Introduction is how every recipe of one certain food becomes special. There are many different versions by different authors of one same food and that is possible because each story and background of that food depends on author’s own experience. That is how others adapt the existing recipe and put in their own stories and their own cooking tips to make it their own recipe. One interesting introduction is Brown Good and Cheap recipes. Most introductions starts with food’s history or authors experience with it but this book talks briefly about the taste and its look and sounds like the food is introducing itself. It sounded to be more tasteful and fun to make. Another thing that is important in recipe is marking the ingredients. This is also crucial because it tells or warns person who is allergic to certain ingredient. Putting exact amount or ratio of ingredient leads to perfect food. Direction is the next important step in recipe. Some recipes have pictures included or Internet recipes can put some video clips to help understand each step. Especially in baking, baking needs good technics in order to success and well-explained directions will help.

The purpose of writing recipe is basically to help and inform readers to cook but every author’s goals are different. In Brown Good and Cheap, author’s target is those who wants to cook with low money but want to have good quality of foods. One of the recipe I researched before also helps to make good Korean food with small money. It also has historical background, where during war where people had nothing to eat and cook, just put everything they had and mixed together.(http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/kimchi-bokkeumbap) That is the origin and after several years someone wrote it down as a recipe and now it has became one of Korea’s most favourite food and still many different recipes of Kimchi-bokkeumbap is coming out. There is no same recipe in the world, unless one copies exactly same from others. Every recipe has its own story and its own style. The purpose or target readers will be different even the final food is similar. That is one characteristic of recipe that differs from other writings.

     Food is a part of every life. Other than being a necessity for living, food evokes certain emotions and memories that are otherwise impossible to capture. Through the art of recipes, authors of all different cultures and backgrounds are able to offer a piece of themselves through food.

     Authors write recipes to share with others. Whether it has been passed down in your family from your great-grandmother or from a world renowned chef, recipes are created to share. Food has always brought people together whether it be through celebration, solemnness, or just because people are hungry. Food can also be used to unite people together as different cultures have unique flavors and techniques that bring people together; although you may not understand each other, food is a universal language.

     When analyzing the genre of recipes, there are usually three elements that are found in nearly all published works; an introduction, a list of ingredients, and directions. Though other elements can be added, this is the genre standard.

     The introduction is the most personal section of any recipe. In this section, the author has the most freedom to personalize the recipe and truly make is their own. The introduction should not just be anecdotal though, it should also describe the dish in some way. The next section is usually the ingredients. This is typically the most impersonal part of a recipe, as it usually is just a list; however, some authors also use this space to give their readers alternative ingredients, allowing for different types of readers to still use their recipe. Marcella Hazan does this beautifully in her book Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking in her Pesto recipe. Hazan is aware that different levels of cooks are going to read her recipes, and that not have wants or has a mortar. By giving an alternative, more modern recipe, she broadens her selected audience. Finally, the author gives directions on how to create the dish. Using the introduction as a way to describe the dish through words or photos, as seen in the recipe for kung pao chicken in the book Phoenix Claws and Jade Trees by Kian Lam Kho, the reader should have an idea of what they are making. While the introduction should set-up the dish though, the directions should be the clearest part to read in a recipe. A great example of very clear directions is from this bruschetta recipe. This recipe breaks the dish down into three parts, allowing for the audience to easily follow along and create the three separate parts in their own time. While this recipe clearly explains how to make each step, some recipes will not explain things that may be simple knowledge to more experienced cooks, ultimately alienating more novice cooks.

     Although these elements are almost always prevalent in any recipe, having these features does not always make a good recipe. Having now examined and read several types of recipes, I have learned about my preferences in a recipe and have seen recipes that are just bad. I prefer introductions that give a short anecdote that ties in with the dish. However, having a long introduction doesn’t make it a bad recipe. In my opinion, a good recipe is one that can be followed and properly executed by a novice cook. One of my favorite dishes that I have been making since I was about 11 is a take on this scalloped potatoes au gratin recipe. While any recipe with French roots sounds more complicated than it usually is, this recipe is very easy to follow and requires minimal ingredients and tools.

     Recipes are becoming more and more accessible due to the internet. This allows for different cultures and authors to reach a wider audience. However, this has not changed the format of recipes. Introductions, ingredients and directions are almost always going to be the foundation to any good recipe. Food will always be a part of life, and with that, so will recipes.