CupBakes Premium Baking Cups

Knowing I was almost out of baking cups, I kept an eye out for some when at Smart & Final. This was the smallest package available: 500 cups.

What's neat is that they are made of glassine paper, which is what makes them grease resistant.

I use glassine paper at work to weigh things out, so it's sort of neat to have some in my kitchen. I wonder how they'll hold up when used for muffins.

CupBakes Premium baking cups, available in the baking/cooking tool aisle for -- oh man! I didn't jot it down! It was about 5 bucks. $5.69.

McCormick Pure Almond Extract

The lemon muffin recipe I'm going to execute calls for some almond extract. So I bought some.

If you want to get some, look in the baking aisle of your grocery. There will be a section of little boxes like this one, a variety of extracts. Maybe I'll try this recipe sometime.

Like vanilla extract, there's not much to almond extract. Water, alcohol, and almond oil. I'd hate to be the guy squeezing the oil from an almond. Har, har! Of course, I'm kidding. It's likely extracted, hence, extract, rather than essence.

Check out the new and improved cap. It has a pour spout which, I see now, isn't very clearly illustrated here. You'll just have to trust me. FYI, don't use the extract if the white tamper-proof seal has been adulterated. Mine looks ok.

When you open it, you'll know it's almond extract. It's almondy and alcoholy all at once.

McCormick almond extract, no artificial flavorings or colors, in a 1-oz bottle with a pour-spout cap, available at Smart & Final for $5.89.

Update, 12/09/12
Have some you want to use but can't find a recipe? Take a look at one of these:

• Lemon-Almond Muffin with Lemon Drizzle
• Saucy Strawberry-Raspberry Cake
• Toasted Almond Pound Cake with Fresh Berry Sauce (it's good even if you skip the berries)

Chobani Plain Greek Yogurt

When shopping for yogurt, I look for the one that has the least amount of junk in it. I want milk and bacteria. That's it.

This time I bought Chobani yogurt. It's Greek, which just means it's been strained. Chobani also has a boatload of protein in it.


The part that is important to me is the ingredients: cultured pasteurized nonfat milk, live and active cultures (S. thermophilus, L. bulgaricus, L. acidophilus, bifidus and L. casei).


23 g of protein, or 46% of the daily value; no corn syrup, no pectin, no weird stuff. Just milk and microorganisms.

Check out Chobani's FAQ's page if you're wondering what's up with this yogurt.

Chobani plain non-fat Greek yogurt, available at Smart & Final in a 32 oz container for $5.59.

Couscous with Roasted Pistachios

A container of couscous has been lounging in the pantry for a long time. I'm almost embarrassed to say how long. The couscous probably has parties celebrating their longevity. I haven't made anything with the couscous since Couscous with Pine Nuts.

Seeing this recipe, I thought to myself, "OK! Fine! I'll do the damn couscous." It goes like that sometimes.

Couscous with Roasted Pistachios

adapted from Cooking Club of America, April/May 2010 issue

click to print

2 1/4 c chicken stock

1 tbsp olive oil

1/4 tsp salt

1 2/3 c couscous

1/2 c dried cherries

1 c coarsely chopped roasted salted pistachios

1 tsp grated lemon peel

Bring stock, oil and salt to a boil in medium saucepan.

Stir in couscous and cherries; cover and remove from heat.

  

Let stand 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with fork; stir in pistachios and lemon peel.
 

 


The crunchy nut and tender cherry textures were nice contrasts with the granular couscous. The tartness of the cherries were a lot more mellow than cherries straight from the bag, which is good. Too tart and they'd be over the top. I enjoyed those aspects of this side.

Unfortunately, I am still not over my fear of inhaling couscous granules directly into my lungs, which means I feel as though I must eat them one at a time so I know I'm swallowing each of them. Have you seen how tiny these things are? It is a similar reason why I cannot tolerate eating angel hair pasta.

Cost:

• chicken stock: $0.36
• couscous: $2, SWAG
• dried cherries: $1.85
• roasted pistachios: $2.50

TOTAL: $6.71 or $0.84 for each of eight 3/4-cup servings.

Medallions of Pork with Balsamic Butter Sauce

Balsamic reductions are fantastic. When I saw this recipe when browsing for the best way to use a pork tenderloin in the freezer, it was clear I had to try this one.

Medallions of Pork with Balsamic Butter Sauce

from Cooking Club of America

click to print

1 1/2 lb. pork tenderloin, cut crosswise into 12 slices

1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tbsp butter, chilled, divided
1/4 c balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp packed brown sugar


The little quantity of fat was trimmed before I managed to slice the tenderloin into the most non-uniform thicknesses possible.

Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper.

Heat large skillet over medium-high heat until hot.

Add 1 tablespoon of the butter; cook 30 to 60 seconds or until beginning to brown.
 

Add pork; cook 8 to 10 minutes or until browned and pale pink in center, turning once.
 

 
Into the skillet, ready to flip, skinny ones flipped first, thick ones flipped last.

Remove pork; cover loosely with foil.
 

Add vinegar to skillet; cook 1 minute or until slightly thickened.

  

Remove from heat; stir in brown sugar until dissolved.
 

Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon butter until melted; immediately pour over pork.
  
You don't have to tell me, I know my food styling needs serious work.


I really liked how the pork turned out. The thicker medallions were very tender and juicy; the balsamic butter sauce rich and velvety. The thinner medallions were tougher in comparison with the thick medallions reminding me of overcooked pork chops. That was my fault: I didn't remove the skinny cuts from heat soon enough. Next time, I'll aim for 6 medallions rather than 12 which will allow for more wiggle room on timing. The thicker ones also achieved better browning than the thin ones, which I prefer.

Overall, a dinner done with pantry ingredients and a single dirty pan in about half an hour. You can't beat that.

Cost:

• pork tenderloin: $3
• butter: $0.09
• balsamic vinegar: $0.67

Total: $3.76, but I'll make it $4 to include brown sugar, salt and pepper. That makes each of three servings about $1.33.

Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan-Garlic Crumbs

 

Recently I roasted some asparagus in the broiler. Say you don't have a broiler: you can do your roasting right there in the oven. This recipe does just that but takes it one step further with the addition of some crunchy crumbs.

 

Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan-Garlic Crumbs

from Cooking Club of America
click to print

1/4 c panko

1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp plus l tbsp olive oil, divided
1 small garlic clove, minced
Dash cayenne pepper
1 1/2 lb. asparagus, peeled if desired
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

Heat oven to 400°F. Combine panko, cheese, 2 teaspoons of the oil, garlic and cayenne pepper in shallow baking dish or pie pan.

 

Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown and crisp, stirring several times and watching closely; place in small bowl.

 

Increase oven temperature to 450°F.

Place asparagus on large rimmed baking sheet in single layer; sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon oil, salt and pepper. Roll asparagus to coat.

 

Bake at 450°F. for 7 to 12 minutes or until tender, turning once or twice. Sprinkle with panko mixture.

Roast asparagus is always delicious but the this dish would've been leaps and bounds better if the parmesan-garlic crumbs were cooked ONTO the asparagus. The crumbs fell off of the asparagus as I cut the spears into bite-sized pieces. Only some of those that did hang on during that ordeal didn't make the fork trip from plate to piehole. Tastewise though, those little crumbs were tasty little tidbits. I bet they'd be good on broccoli too.

Cost:

• panko: $0.08
• Parmesan cheese: $0.67
• garlic: $0.10
• asparagus: $3.69

Total: $4.54 or $1.14 for each of four pretty big servings.

Trader Joe's Dried Pitted Tart Montmorency Cherries

Cherries...pineapple...cherries...pineapple. I'm not sure which is my favorite fruit. When it comes to dry choices, cherries come out on top.

I'm going to try these tart cherries in a side dish, resisting the intense urge to put them in a dessert where they belong.

Don't they look magnificent? There's a reason why I wait until the last possible moment to open packages like these.

Tart cherries available in a resealable 8 oz bag at Trader Joe's for $3.69.