Cast Sugar

Have I told you the one about the redbud tree?

2009-06-18T20:51:00.008-05:00

ED NOTE: If you are crazy bored and don't mind weeding through baby updates to see recipes, you are more than welcome to continue to follow us on our family blog: Scott-Nems-Doots. XOXO!

(oh and PS: image courtesy of the ever-fabulous Solar Photographers :P )
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Not too long ago, I noticed that we have a half-dead redbud tree on our property. And by that, I mean - I was made aware by my dear Hubs that we actually have a redbud tree on our property. And it’s half dead. How is it that I’ve lived at this house for a year now, and I’ve never noticed that big ole, half-dead, half-pink-flowered tree in our backyard?

Yikes.

I think this is an appropriate time to give you an update on my life as a blogger.

Stilton and Bacon Cheesecakes

As I’ve mentioned before, blogging was something I picked up on a whim in 2007, to keep myself busy. We were just married and throwing every spare penny into savings for our home and other things. That means not a ton of disposable income, and therefore I was spending A LOT of time in our wee-tiny apartment kitchen, keeping my hands busy by making all our treats and dinners at home. I always surfed through food blogs looking for something new to make, and thought they were so darling and cute. Hey, why not give it a shot? Blogging was cheap (hell, it was free!), it was a good outlet for any writing I wanted to do, and it was a way to feel productive while spinning my wheels and waiting for our “Real Life” to start.

Once I got immersed in the blogging community, I found it very addictive. This whole food blogging thing, it has a life of its own and you meet so many people and can do so many things! Suddenly I wanted to push myself to attempt more complicated recipes, to tackle new baking methods, to join a slew of baking groups and blogging events and a few contests.

White Chocolate and Lime Cheesecake Bars

When not working, I was always thinking about recipes to try. When home, I was baking and cleaning up and baking and cleaning up and baking and cleaning up…. Our grocery bills went up, as I was buying "butter, chocolate, sugar, flour" practically every trip to the grocery store. And then you add in the photographing/layout/composing time… My goodness I spent a lot of time with my butt at the computer, clicking and typing away.

And I loved every second of it.

It did take over my life a bit, though. Hubs took it like a champ and joined in the fun - he’d help me pick final recipes, would visit me in the kitchen and poke around while I baked away, and would hang out by the computer in the evenings to (*ahem* bug me) keep me company. I’d get so upset with myself if a recipe didn’t turn out exactly as I’d hoped, or if I didn’t feel quite right about what I had written. I felt a certain need to keep people happy by blogging every other day. It was a lot of pressure that I totally put on myself; I didn’t want to be one of those people who “flaked out” and quit my blog. No way, I’m not one of them. Besides, I love what I’m doing.

Blackberry Jam Cake

So I kept baking and writing through the big life milestones that came into my life. I made 6 new recipes in the evenings while we were going through that tangle of house hunting, signing all that paperwork, and finally owning a home of our own. I made the Daring Bakers Opera cake in between marathon painting sessions at our new home. I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning for 4 nights straight so I would have a back-log of posts while people visited. Then we were trying for a family, and I pushed myself to keep baking and blogging through the fun times of pregnancy exhaustion and morning sickness and food aversions…

Carrot Cake

And then suddenly I'm 9 months pregnant, standing on our back deck that I never seem to find time to enjoy, having the Hubs laugh and point out to me that half-dead redbud tree that's been in our (not-very-large) backyard this entire time.

For me, that was what finally made me stop and think. I love blogging and baking, this is true, but how much was me doing it just to not "look like a flake"? In reality, I was ignoring that whole “Real Life” thing that I was waiting for this whole time. Yeah. That isn’t right.

Ambrosia Macaroons

So I guess what I’m saying is: it’s time to retire this blog. Now, I don’t plan on taking it down at any point, so if you plan on making any past recipes you don’t need to worry about copying/pasting/what-have-you. They’ll be up until Blogger no longer exists. I am going to stop adding to this blog, though, or at least - will not be adding to it for a good long time. It’s time for me to concentrate on my family and my house and friends and all that other fun messy stuff called My Life.

Julia Child's French Bread

I do have a personal blog, and it will probably have recipes from time to time (there is no way a food blogger can go cold turkey). If you are interested in following me on there and don’t mind all the non-foodie posts found in between recipes, leave your e-mail in the comments and I’ll send you a link.

And I leave you with this: thanks for everything, my darling readers - you really do mean a lot to me. I’ll miss ya, lots. And now I’m off to figure out what to do with a half-dead redbud tree.

Toodles,
Nemmie

Total baby deliciousness, best thing I ever baked. Photography by Josh Solar Photo.

Crock Pot Cowboy Baked Beans

2009-06-13T05:33:00.002-05:00

Hubs is the bean lover, not me. I didn't want anything unfortunate to happen to me on the Labor and Delivery table, so I kept FAR away from anything that could potentially cause... that to happen. You ladies know what I mean. Basically, I was on a diet of cheese cheese and more cheese. Anyhoo. Enough of that sort of talk on a food blog...

He really, really liked them. And they smelled really good! And they were crock pot magic, which makes it even better. If you are looking for a new bean recipe for your summer cook outs, this might be the one. Tons of flavor, tons of leftovers (for those weekday grilling evenings), and making them in the crock pot ensures that you're not heating up your kitchen. Total win!

Crock Pot Cowboy Baked Beans

(adapted from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:

6 slices bacon

1 c. chopped white onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 (16 oz.) can pinto beans, drained

1 (16 oz.) can Great Northern beans, drained

1 (16 oz.) can baked beans

1 (16 oz.) can red kidney beans, drained

1 (15 oz.) can garbanzo beans, drained

3/4 c. ketchup

1/2 c. molasses

1/4 c. packed brown sugar

2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. liquid smoke

1 Tbsp. yellow mustard

1/2 tsp. black pepper

Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly browned. Drain, reserving 2 Tbsp. of drippings. Crumble bacon and toss in crock pot. Cook the onion and garlic in the drippings until onion is tender; drain excess grease and transfer to crock pot as well.

To the crock pot, add all remaining ingredients and combine well. Heat in crock pot on High for 1 hour, or on Low for 2-4 hours.

Fresh Strawberry Bars

2009-06-10T15:19:00.002-05:00

Hi hi! More strawberry goodness, this time on top of a lovely, soft-yet-hefty peanut butter base. From Better Homes and Gardens, of all places.

Now, some people thought it was funny that I get Better Homes and Gardens magazine, but to them I just want to say: dudes, you're missing out. Yeah, it has a faint whiff of 90s outdated dork-fest, but I seriously would not have the faintest idea how to take care of a yard/garden without it. Great magazine for beginners! It tells you what to focus on every month, what plants/flowers work well together, how to landscape, etc. etc. I have actual container gardens and cute hanging planters thanks to that magazine, and Hubs' garden is doing pretty darn good, too (although I think that's due more to his farming ancestory than my new favorite-ish magazine).

Usually the recipes in there aren't my style, but they had these strawberry bars on the cover and I couldn't resist. They were really, really good, too - I usually don't pair my strawberries with peanut butter. I'm more for strawberries and cream, or strawberries and berries, or strawberries and chocolate, or balsamic, or... well, anything but peanut butter. It is amazing, though, how well they work together! Like a really fresh-tasting PB&J sandwich :)

Fresh Strawberry Bars

(from Better Homes and Gardens, May 2009)

Ingredients:

3/4 c. unsalted butter, softened

3/4 c. peanut butter

1 c. packed brown sugar

1/2 c. granulated sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 1/4 c. AP flour

1/2 c. strawberry preserves

4 c. small whole strawberries, halved or quartered

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 9X13 pan with foil, extending foil beyond edges. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and peanut butter on medium to high for 30 seconds, until well blended. Beat in the sugars, baking powder, and salt until combined. Add eggs and vanilla; beat until combined. Beat in as much flour as you can with mixer. Stir in remaining flour.

Spread dough in prepared pan. Bake 25 minutes or until top is lightly browned and toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.

Cool completely on a cooling rack. Remove from the pan by lifting out by the foil edges. Spread preserves on top, then top with berries. Cut into bars. Serve at once or refrigerate up to 6 hours.

Tart Lime Bars

2009-06-07T15:24:00.007-05:00

This one is on honor of the Hubs, whose insatiable lime addiction overtook me during this pregnancy thing. Along with key lime pie, this was one of the rare recipes that was able to tame my cravings. At least for a little while.

Originally an Ina Garten recipe, Deb upped the salt and concentrated the filling, making for a more even crust:filling ratio. Of course, on top of this I wanted a much more tart filling, so I changed the flavor to lime (yummy!) and upped the zest content even more than she did. I would say that the normal, non-hormonal person would probably appreciate a less tart lime bar, but I made these for a book club meeting and everybody seemed to dig them. So I kept my proportions in the recipe below.

Tart Lime Bars

(adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 c. granulated sugar
2 c. flour
1/8 tsp. kosher salt

4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 2/3 c, granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. lime zest (4-5 limes)
2/3 c. freshly squeezed lime juice
2/3 c. flour

Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350 F and grease a 9X13 baking sheet.

For the crust: cream the butter and sugar until light in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Combine the flour and salt and, with the mixer on low, add to the butter until just mixed. Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and gather into a ball. Flatten the dough with floured hands and press it into the greased baking sheet, building up a 1/2-inch edge on all sides. Chill.

Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.

For the lime layer: whisk together the eggs, sugar, lime zest, lime juice, and flour. Pour over the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes (less if you are using the thinner topping), or about five minutes beyond the point where the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature.

Cut into squares and dust with confectioners’ sugar.

Mango Muffins

2009-06-04T05:34:00.000-05:00

So, the Tuesdays with Dorie folks made Dorie's mango bread a few weeks ago. It looked totally good, but when I saw that Caitlin made muffins instead, I was sold. I am always up for a good muffin recipe! And mangoes were super-cheap at the market that week, a sign of fate that I needed to try these out.

Now, I must say: WATCH THE TIMER WITH THESE. The bread may take 90 minutes, but these muffins are going to take probably a third of that - I say 'probably' because I set my timer for 40 minutes, and out came hard-as-rock muffins. I stuck them in a tightly-lidded container and they softened up nicely by the second day, but they were still kinda brown.

Yummy nonetheless, though! The chunks of mango do a lot to moisten these guys up (you'll see for yourself if you mix up some of this batter), and the flavor is a.m.a.z.i.n.g. I am not a giant fan of deeply spiced things in the spring/summer (I want light and fresh instead!), but these were just delicious and not too heavy, which I loved. Plump raisins, juicy mango, fantastic mix of spices. Once again, Dorie's recipe is a winner...

Mango Muffins

(adapted from Dorie's Baking: From My Home To Yours)

Ingredients:

3 large eggs
3/4 c. flavorless oil, such as canola or safflower oil
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. (packed) light brown sugar
2 c. diced mango
3/4 c. golden raisins
Grated zest of 1/2 a lime

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease the top of a muffin pan, line muffin cups with paper liners, and put the pan on an insulated baking sheet or on two regular baking sheets stacked one on top of the other. (This extra insulation will keep the bottom of the muffins from overbaking).

Whisk the eggs and oil together.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt. Rub the brown sugar between your palms into the bowl, breaking up any lumps, then stir it in. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry, switch to a sturdy rubber spatula or wooden spoon and mix until blended — the batter will be very VERY thick (really more like a dough than a batter) and not easily mixed, but persevere, it will soon come together.

Stir in the mango, raisins, and zest. Scrape the batter into the muffin cups in pan, and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula.

Bake the bread for 30-40 minutes, or until muffins are golden brown and a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean. (If the muffins look as if they're getting too brown as they bake, cover tops loosely with a foil tent). Transfer the muffin pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes before unmolding. Invert muffins and cool to room temperature right side up on the rack.

Old Fashioned Potato Salad

2009-06-01T06:30:00.000-05:00

This is my most favorite potato salad recipe, and I've tried lots. For one, it is very simple and easy to remember (I can make it easily from memory). If you want to snazz it up and add more, though, it takes well to any addition (sometimes I add fresh dill, or pickles, or whatever fresh gardeny goodness I have lying around). I love to cut the potato in big, rustic chunks - I think a big part of it is the texture. Plus you really get the flavor of the potato, which is, rightfully, the star.

The thing that really makes this potato salad recipe FANTASTIC is tossing the hot potato chunks with the vinegar before assembling any more of the salad - the tart, sour vinegar really gets inside the potatoes, which brightens up the dish and contrasts nicely with that creamy dressing.

Old Fashioned Potato Salad

(adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook, 2004)

Ingredients:

2 lbs. boiling potatoes (I like Yukon Golds for this, they hold up well to boiling)

3 Tbsp. cider vinegar

1 tsp. salt

3/4 c. chopped celery

1/2 c. chopped white onion

3 hard-boiled large eggs, chopped

1 c. mayonnaise

1 Tbsp. dijon mustard

Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

Combine potatoes with well salted cold water to cover by 2 inches in a 3-qt. saucepan, and bring to a boil. reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until potatoes are just tender, 15-25 minutes, depending on size. Drain and cool slightly.

Meanwhile, whisk together the vinegar and salt in a large bowl until the salt is dissolved.

When potatoes are just cool enough to handle (still quite warm), cut into large 1-in. chunks, adding to vinegar mixture as you cut them, tossing gently with a large spoon or spatula. Cool to room temperature.

Add all remaining ingredients and stir gently to combine. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Strawberry Pie

2009-05-29T05:58:00.007-05:00

I loooove strawberry pie. Love it. And this is the time of year when you can make your own luscious sweet strawberry pie, thanks to all the low prices on those plump berries at the grocers and markets. Sooo good, and just so satisfying on a hot, humid-ish day. Which is exactly the kind of weather now creeping into our Kansas springs...

My parents gave me a copy of Mr. Food's version of strawberry pie, and I mixed things up a bit until I had a recipe I liked best. I changed a few of the measurements for sugar/cornstarch, I like a sweeter and denser filling. I also sliced the strawberries, it just seemed to make for not-as-messy eating and also a better proportion of berries/binder :)

I can't stress enough - be sure to chill this pie for at least a good 4 hours, although 6+ would be ideal. You want a nice, ice-cold slice to top with some whipped cream and enjoy in the heat. Mmmmm.

Strawberry Pie

(adapted from Mr. Food)

Ingredients:

1 (9-in.) deep-dish pie shell, baked and cooled

1 1/2 c. granulated sugar

4 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch

2 c. cold water

1 (3 oz.) pkg. strawberry gelatin
1 quart strawberries, washed, hulled, and sliced

Combine sugar, cornstarch, and water in a medium saucepan. Stir and bring to a boil while stirring. Boil off until mixture is clear and thick. Add gelatin and stir to dissolve. Set aside to cool about 15-20 minutes.

After cooling for a bit, add sliced strawberries to gelatin mixture. Pour into pie shell and chill in refrigerator, at least 4 hours. Serve pie with whipped cream. Yum!

Mini Lime Pavlovas

2009-05-26T05:26:00.007-05:00

Yeah, you wanna talk about where I've been? Here's the best part, the total kicker - um, I haven't had a baby. Nope, not yet. Just got a terrible case of the "Busy Bee!"s and haven't had time to type anything up and post to the beloved blog. Yeah, I know - I pretty much suck at this blogging thing these days. But! I've been able to spend a lot of quality-time with friends and family galore before this Robot of ours shows up, so I won't let the blog make me feel too terribly guilty.

Anyhoo! On to the recipe, shall we? Now, I love a good Pavlova. The only problem is that it is so darn humid in Kansas, I rarely get the opportunity to make them in the summer months (and let's admit it, it's not really the type of thing you bust out in the wintertime). I was hosting my book club and wanted to make a dessert, and figured since hey, it was pretty nice, I'd make Pavlovas. I baked them off the night before and planned on serving them with strawberries and kiwi.

So of course, it rained that evening. And the next day. And the next...

So while they were mighty delicious, the Pavlovas were also a bit sad looking. They *poof* fell apart with the slightest touch, so what you're seeing in pictures is a nice, sadly crumbled Pavlova. No matter, though - what they lacked in presentation, they more than made up for in taste. I love Pavlovas because they have that soft, melt-on-your-tongue outer meringue with a lovely, smooshy, marshmallow-like interior. Add some light whipped cream and fruit, and it's absolute heaven.

Also I should note: as far as desserts go, this one is about as healthy as it gets if you go easy on the whipping cream! A note to Kris and Alfie: you can sub the fine sugar with Splenda, just cut down about 1/4 of the amount. It'll turn out the same but will be sugar free!

Mini Lime Pavlovas

(adapted from sadly I can't remember where, but I swiped a mini Pav recipe and worked from there...)

Ingredients:
4 large egg whites, at room temperature

Pinch of salt

1 c. fine granulated (baker's) sugar

2 tsp. cornstarch

2 tsp. white wine vinegar

Zest of 1/2 of a lime

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Whipped cream

Sliced fruit

Preheat oven to 180 F. Place 2 sheets of parchment paper on 2 sheet pans. Draw several small circles on the paper, using a small ramekin or similar item as a guide, then turn them over so the circles are on the reverse side (this way you won't get pencil marks on your meringue).

Place the egg whites and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat the egg whites on high speed until firm, about a minute. With the mixer on high, slowly add the sugar and beat until it makes firm, shiny peaks, about 2 minutes.

Remove the bowl from the mixer, sift the cornstarch onto the beaten egg whites, add the vinegar, zest, and vanilla, and carefully fold them lightly with a rubber spatula. Pile the meringue on your circle outlines, making a small indentation in the middle (for your cream and fruit later). We're not going for gorgeous and smooth here - rough edges are prettier with this dessert anyway, so just pile them on with that spatula.

Bake for 90 minutes. Turn off the oven, keep the door closed, and leave the mini Pavlovas in the oven for about an hour. They should be crisp on the outside and soft inside.

To serve: place one mini Pavlova on each plate. Top with whipped cream and fruit.

Italian Love Cake

2009-04-20T06:49:00.000-05:00

Hubs made fun of the name, but he still ate the heck out of this cake. So there. It has a rather heavy texture (the ricotta bakes into the cake portion, which is the reason for this) but that light top layer of cream and pudding evens things out nicely. It tastes a bit like tiramisu, if you're into that sort of thing. Pretty good stuff, and a heck of a lot easier than dipping all those ladyfingers in espresso and laying them out...

Italian Love Cake

(from the lovely Leslie)

Ingredients:
1 box marble cake mix

1 large container (~2 lb.) ricotta cheese

1 tsp. vanilla

3/4 c. sugar

4 eggs

1 pkg. instant chocolate pudding

1 c. milk

1 container Cool Whip

Prepare marble cake mix according to directions, and pour into a (greased and floured) 9X13 pan.

Mix eggs, cheese, sugar, vanilla and pour over cake mix. Bake 1 hour at 350 F. Cool cake-completely!

Mix pudding mix with 1 cup milk. Beat 3 minutes. Add Cool Whip and spread over cake. Refrigerate cake.

Leslie's note: "I normally make this the day before so its completely set up and cold. "

Tinnie Cheesecake

2009-04-18T08:16:00.008-05:00

I made my last trip (for awhile, anyway) down to see family this past weekend - and they were kind enough to make me a lovely lunch and shower the baby Robot with gifts :) I am spoiled and so is this child, I've decided. I'm spoiled mostly because my sister Miss Tinnie brought out the big guns, and made her awesome cheesecake.

This is The Best Cheesecake Ever. It is actually her version of one of those "kopy kat" recipes, a take on the Copeland's famous cheesecake recipe. I personally have never had the Copeland's version, but according to Miss Tinnie it is The Bomb. If it really does taste like this cheesecake, then I am a believer.

This version is dense and creamy but light, definitely not a baked cheesecake. It's a mile high and sits on a thick, awesomely nutty crust. It's the crust that gets ya. I begged for the recipe and Tinnie was gracious enough to share her version with me. And I'm sharing it with you. Err, it's probably safe to say she won't be sharing anymore recipes with me any time soon...

Tinnie Cheesecake

Ingredients:

1/2 c. Bisquick biscuit mix

3/4 c. flour

1 c. pecans, chopped

3/4 c. dark brown sugar

1 stick unsalted butter

5 pkgs. (40 oz.) cream cheese, softened to room temperature

1 c. sugar (make sure it's a "heaping" cup)

2 Tbsp. vanilla extract
16 oz. whipped topping

For crust:

Preheat oven 350 F.

Combine all dry ingredients, breaking up any large pieces of brown sugar. Add pecan pieces and melted butter and mix thoroughly. Press mixture evenly into a 10-inch springform pan. Place pan on a baking sheet and place in the oven for 13 minutes. Allow to cool at room temperature.

For filling:

Cream together softened cream cheese and sugar and vanilla until smooth. Approximately 5 minutes on high speed, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Fold in whipped topping gently until mixture is smooth. Using rubber spatula scoop into pre-baked crust and smooth the top. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and freeze overnight or at least 8 hours.

At least 30 minutes before serving remove from freezer and place at room temperature. Cut and serve with your favorite topping or plain.

Mmmm.

2009-04-17T10:14:00.004-05:00

We are too busy enjoying Orangina to blog these days. Will be back this weekend, my pets.

XOXO

Miss Tinnie, Nemmie, and Mahni

(Not Really Key) Lime Pie

2009-04-12T05:34:00.006-05:00

Spring in Kansas – it’s true that you just never know what you’re going to get. Every once in awhile - in between that barometric see-saw of cold snaps, then hot and dreadfully humid thunderstorms, then gloomy chilly days- you get that gorgeous day. Sunny, not a cloud in the sky, temps in the low 70s. Just beautiful.

We had one of those days recently, and believe me they are cherished when they show up. I rushed home from work and threw open all the windows. When Hubs got off work, we did our usual warm-weather ritual and went up to campus for a long walk up and down The Hill. Well, okay I should be honest it’s our second-most-common ritual - the first being walking Mass St. and having a beer on the patio at Free State, but I wasn’t quite up for that one this year…

Anyhoo, nice weather just makes a person hungry for certain things, so we both agreed on salads for dinner. But I was also craving something sweet and tart, one of those cravings for dessert you get on a beautiful day. And I knew the perfect dessert. So when we stopped at the grocery store on the way home to grab salad goodies, I also picked up a can of sweetened condensed milk and a bunch of limes. Nothing celebrates the warm weather like a lime pie.

Notice I didn’t say “key lime”, that’s because I rarely use key limes when making this pie. No worries. It is still delicious, I assure you. This recipe rocks because it is not only easy (I pretty much have it memorized), but it is incredibly quick. Hubs took a shower when we got home from our walk, and by the time he walked back into the kitchen to help with salads I was pulling the finished pie out of the oven to cool.

It really is your classic lime pie – sweet and yet tart tart tart, creamy and cool with a nice crunchy crust. Perfect. You can, you know, ruin it by adding a meringue topping or whipped cream if you’d like, but I think it’s just right on its own.

(Not Really Key) Lime Pie
(from Tate’s Bake Shop Cookbook, 2005)

Ingredients:
For crust:
1 1/4 c. graham cracker crumbs, fine ground
1 Tbsp. sugar
5 Tbsp. salted butter, melted

For filling:
4 large egg yolks
1 Tbsp. lime zest (I probably used more like 2 Tbsp. We love the tart)
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 c. fresh lime juice (about 4 limes’ worth)

Prepare the crust: In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Stir in melted butter (I add this with my hands, but a wooden spoon will do fine). Press evenly into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie pan. Bake off the crust for 10 minutes at 325 F. Cool completely.

Prepare the filling: In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat the yolks and lime zest until smooth. Beat in the milk, then slowly beat in the lime juice. Beat mixture continuously until smooth.

Pour the filling into the prepared crust. Bake at 350 F for 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature, then place in the fridge to cool until set (about 2 hours).

Snickerdoodle Muffins

2009-04-09T05:34:00.004-05:00

Shamelessly stolen from Pea's blog (these were all the rage in the food blogging community a few years ago, so I patiently waited to post my version).

These are something I could make all the time, and for good reason - they are EXACTLY like the cookie, only in a nice muffin form. The rolling of the batter in cinnamon sugar yields a muffin that has a sugary crackled crust, exactly like the cookie. The muffin interior is so moist and soft and yummy - oh my goodness, heaven. I'm not a gigantic fan of snickerdoodle cookies (they are just *okay*), but man. I could eat these muffins every day of my life.

Just a note for first timers making these: coat your palms in the cinnamon sugar and just plop a scoop of batter on one hand, and bounce the batter quickly between the bowl of sugar and your hands before plopping in your muffin tin. You'll be a MESS, yes, but it also works like a charm.

Snickerdoodle Muffins

(from Peabody)

Ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter

1 c. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

¾ tsp. baking soda

¾ tsp. baking powder

¾ tsp. cream of tarter

¾ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

1 ¼ c. sour cream

2 ¼ c. all purpose flour
1 c. sugar + 2 Tbsp. cinnamon, mixed together for rolling

Cream the butter and sugar until soft about 3 to 5 minutes. Add in the vanilla. Add in the eggs one at a time and mix until each is incorporated.

In a separate, mix together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder and cream of tarter.
Add the flour mixture and the sour cream alternately to the egg-butter mixture in the additions. Start with the flour and end with the flour. Scrape the bowl occasionally.

Using an ice cream scoop, scoop out muffin batter one at a time and drop into a shallow bowl filled with the cinnamon sugar mixture. Roll the muffin around in the mixture until it is covered completely in cinnamon sugar. Place muffin into a greased muffin tin.

Depending on the size of your tins, you should get about 12 to 14 muffins. Bake them for approx. 20-22 minutes in a 350F oven or until they are golden brown.

Smoked Salmon Spread

2009-04-07T05:53:00.001-05:00

Hubs loves this stuff, and I mean loooooves this stuff. And I can't blame him - it's the best salmon spread I've ever had (and I have tried my fair share in my lifetime). So easy to make, too!

We tend to add extra horseradish (gotta love that bite). Just few things to note: First, go easy on the salt. I season it up at the end, because depending on the type of salmon used, it may not need any salt at all. Second, be sure to make this well ahead of time. This is definitely a spread that takes a few hours for the flavors to really come together.

Smoked Salmon Spread

(from Ina Garten)

Ingredients:

8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 c. sour cream
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 Tbsp. minced fresh dill
1 tsp. prepared horseradish, drained
1/4 tsp. kosher salt (Easy on the salt!)
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 lb.(4 oz.) smoked salmon, diced

Cream the cheese in an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until just smooth.

Add the sour cream, lemon juice, dill, and horseradish, and mix. Add the smoked salmon and mix well, then season with salt and pepper. Chill and serve with crudites or crackers.

Blueberry Lime Angel Food Cake

2009-04-04T05:13:00.003-05:00

I was cleaning out the freezer the other day, and realized I had 18 egg whites sitting around waiting to be used. Which means one thing in my household - we're making angel food cake.

Angel food cake is one of my favorites. History dates the origin of this cake back to the 1800s, well before rotary beaters even existed. Can you imagine the amount of arm strength it took to beat up a dozen egg whites for a measely cake?? Well, if nothing else that bit of information should the uninitiated that the making of angel food cake even by hand is, indeed, worth the effort.

I, of course, did not make mine by hand (thank goodness for that KitchenAid mixer, which makes whipping up this cake mind-numbingly easy). Now usually I love this cake plain - to me, regular-old angel food cake with maybe some fruit topping is just sublime. Angel food cake is like a baked version of cotton candy - sticky and sweet and light as can be. It doesn't need a lot of decoration to be fantastic. However, I had not only a great berry sauce to use up, but also some limes and blueberries that were getting near their end.

So I did dress up the cake a wee bit with the blueberries and lime, and then figured 'what the heck' and buried all of that in berry sauce. It was all very good! The blueberries didn't really weigh down the cake as I was worried they might do, and the limes gave things and extra zing that you don't get from any other flavoring (much more assertive than lemon). All in all very good! Take advantage of that lovely spring weather folks, and make this cake....

Blueberry Lime Angel Food Cake

(Adapted from CDKitchen)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. sugar, divided
1 c. sifted cake flour
12 large egg whites
1 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. fresh or frozen blueberries
2 Tbsp. sifted cake flour
1 Tbsp. lime zest

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Sift together 1/2 cup sugar and 1 cup flour. In a large bowl, beat egg whites with a mixer at high speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar and salt; beat until soft peaks form.

Add 1 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. Sift flour mixture over egg white mixture, 1/4 cup at a time; fold in. Fold in vanilla and blueberries. Combine 2 tablespoons flour and lime rind; toss to coat. Sprinkle over egg white mixture; fold in.

Spoon the batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan, spreading evenly. Break air pockets by cutting through batter with a knife.

Bake at 375 F for 40 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Invert pan; cool completely. Loosen the cake from sides of pan using a narrow metal spatula. Invert cake onto plate.

Ribollita

2009-04-01T05:17:00.003-05:00

We got a late winter (well technically early spring) storm this past weekend, sleet and ice and some snow - lotsa sleet and ice, little snow. Kinda annoying, when we've had a few blissful days in the sunny 70s, but hey. I think I can celebrate nature's last homage to winter weather for awhile. Plus it means one last pot of ribollita.

This is one of my favorite soups to make when it's cold out. In fact, check out those pictures - that is not bad lighting, that is steam whitening out my shots. I love love love ribollita in the wintertime - an Italian dish with a charming history, ribollita originated as a soup where all the leftovers went, including the cheese rind and stale bread. It's a great way to use leftover veggies, and at the rate Hubs and I make pasta dishes there are always extra Parmesan rinds saved up in the freezer. And stale bread? Yes, that is usually not a problem to find at our house as well (I do my best to make bread crumbs out of leftover bread when I can, but that doesn't always happen).

It's hot and comforting, and nice and thick thanks to the toasted bready bottom of your bowl. So rich, it's hard to believe you didn't spend all day in the kitchen whipping this up. That is indeed one of the best things about this dish! Takes 45 minutes to an hour, and most of that is simmer time.

Ribollita

(from Giada De Laurentiis)

Ingredients:

1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil, plus some for drizzling on bread
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
4 oz. pancetta or bacon, chopped
2 cloves garlic: 1 minced and 1 whole
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 (15-oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 lb. frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 (15-oz.) can cannelloni beans, drained
1 Tbsp. herbs de Provence
3 c. chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1 or 2 (3-in.) pieces Parmesan rind
4 to 6 ciabatta rolls, halved lengthwise or 1 loaf, sliced
Grated Parmesan, for serving

Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, pancetta, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook until the onion is golden brown and the pancetta is crisp, about 7 minutes. Add tomato paste and stir until dissolved. Add tomatoes and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release all the brown bits. Add the spinach, beans, herbs, stock, bay leaf, and Parmesan rinds. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 F.

Drizzle the ciabatta halves with olive oil. Toast until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and rub the top of the toasts with the whole garlic clove. Place the toasts in the serving bowls and ladle the soup over the toasts. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve immediately.

Banana Crunch Muffins

2009-03-30T06:42:00.003-05:00

I have been on a muffin kick lately - we are usually cereal or toast eaters for breakfast, but lately I've just wanted a nice bakery good instead. And muffins are much healthier than fried and iced donuts ;)

Now, these aren't the healthiest muffins but my GOSH -they are good! The chunks of bananas in the muffin help to keep it moist and ensure you really get that banana flavor. The granola, nuts, and coconut help to give a great texture as well. And that crunchy topping is genius. I just made sure that I bought extra coconut/almonds/granola to make the recipe, and mixed them all together to top the muffins. Worked perfectly.

Um, this recipe makes a TON of muffins too, by the way. I halved it and still got 15 muffins out of it (!). Enough for lunches and snacks for the Hubster. And believe me, these still didn't stick around for long.

Banana Crunch Muffins

(from Ina Garten)

Ingredients:
3 c. all-purpose flour
2 c.sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp.baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 lb. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 extra-large eggs
3/4 c. whole milk
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 c. mashed ripe bananas (2 bananas)
1 c. medium-diced ripe bananas (1 banana)
1 c. small-diced almonds
1 c. granola
1 c. sweetened shredded coconut
Additional granola, almonds, or shredded coconut for topping

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Line 18 large muffin cups with paper liners. Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the melted butter and blend. Combine the eggs, milk, vanilla, and mashed bananas, and add them to the flour-and-butter mixture. Scrape the bowl and blend well. Don't overmix.

Fold the diced bananas, walnuts, granola, and coconut into the batter. Spoon the batter into the paper liners, filling each 1 to the top. Top each muffin with dried banana chips, granola, or coconut, if desired.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool slightly, remove from the pan, and serve.

Cherry Chocolate Ice Cream

2009-03-28T09:32:00.000-05:00

Mmmm. Cherries. Chocolate. Thank goodness, my sister Anne keeps me in the good chocolate and the Trader Joe's dried cherries :) One of her packages included a dark chocolate cherry bar, and I put it to good use in this ice cream!

I went with a basic vanilla base, then added the juice from some frozen (thawed) cherries. Threw in the chopped chocolate bar and cherries at the and, and voila - cherry chocolate heaven.

PS: Nobody wants to hear about my hurried days, yes? That's okay, I don't really want to complain about them. But! Today we are supposed to be snowed in, so a weekend trip has been cancelled last minute. My house is clean and we have no plans, so I'm making freezer meals and preparing posts for the blog. So look out! No more long spans with no posts, I promise!

Cherry Chocolate Ice Cream

(Adapted from Alice Q. Foodie)

Ingredients:

2 1/4 c. whole milk

1 c. sugar

6 egg yolks

2/3 c. cherry juice or syrup from a can or jar (I used the juice from my bag of frozen cherries)

2/3 c. half and half

1 1/2 c. (thawed) frozen cherries, roughly chopped

1 c. bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped

Heat the milk and pinch of salt in a 2 qt. saucepan over medium-high heat until scalded (bubbles will begin to form at the edge and it will smell "cooked"). In a separate bowl, beat the sugar and egg yolks together until thick and smooth.

Whisk a little of the hot milk into the sugar and yolk mixture, and then very slowly add the rest, whisking continuously. Pour the egg, milk and sugar mixture back into the pan, and cook over medium- high heat, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon, until the custard thickens and coats the back of a spoon (about 6-8 minutes).

Pour the custard mixture into a shallow metal bowl. Set in an ice water bath and stir to cool - or simply allow to cool at room temperature for a few minutes and place in the refrigerator (use a towel if you have glass shelves). When the custard is thoroughly chilled, stir in the half and half and the cherry juice, reserving the cherries. Refrigerate overnight.

Freeze custard in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Add the cherries and chocolate pieces when the ice cream is frozen to a soft consistency. Transfer to a container and ripen in the freezer for 3-4 hours before serving.

Homemade Oreos

2009-03-21T09:17:00.001-05:00

Sorry for all those delays! The Hubs now works from home (thank you, Hub's employer! You are saving us lots of commuting $$$ a year...). But: our home computer is kinda therefore busy when he's working, which means I can't get online at home until 7pm or so. And lately, it tends to crap out when I log on. The Internet provider is promising no more problems so: for now, the blog is back!

I made these a few weeks ago, and they were a HIT - tastes just like the real thing. My cookies were a little poofier than necessary (I didn't use Dutch process cocoa, probably the culprit), but they were still great. Crunchy, slightly salty, deep-chocolate cookies with a creamy (lard-filled!) cream center. Mmmm. Thankfully I took these to a potluck, so we didn't have them hanging around the house. That could have been dangerous. For my already-expanding waistline.

Homemade Oreos

(from Smitten Kitchen)

For the chocolate wafers:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 to 1 1/2 cups sugar [see recipe note]

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) room-temperature, unsalted butter

1 large egg

For the filling:

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) room-temperature, unsalted butter

1/4 cup vegetable shortening

2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Set two racks in the middle of the oven. Preheat to 375 F.

In a food processor, or bowl of an electric mixer, thoroughly mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder, salt, and sugar. While pulsing, or on low speed, add the butter, and then the egg. Continue processing or mixing until dough comes together in a mass.

Take rounded teaspoons of batter and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet approximately two inches apart. With moistened hands, slightly flatten the dough. Bake for 9 minutes, rotating once for even baking. Set baking sheets on a rack to cool.

To make the cream, place butter and shortening in a mixing bowl, and at low speed, gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla. Turn the mixer on high and beat for 2 to 3 minutes until filling is light and fluffy.

To assemble the cookies, in a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch, round tip, pipe teaspoon-size blobs of cream into the center of one cookie. Place another cookie, equal in size to the first, on top of the cream. Lightly press, to work the filling evenly to the outsides of the cookie. Continue this process until all the cookies have been sandwiched with cream. Dunk generously in a large glass of milk.

Hi hi

2009-03-18T16:18:00.002-05:00

Hi there!

We're currently experiencing a few... ah... "technical difficulties" on the blog, but rest assured - new posts to be up no later than the weekend time.

Until then: happy week to you! Miss Sous Chef Mahni also sends her love, and a quick pictorial to tide you over.

Mahni Presents: Things I Love To Do With My Second-Favorite Auntie (Miss Tinnie):

We love to paint our toes while we trade celebrity gossip!

We love to go to Crayola Land and play!

We also love to dance in front of the mirror!

And we love to read magazines in bed (while eating snacks)!

We love to do The Bump dance!

And order food over the phone at Fritz's Restaurant!

But most of all, we love to dance with our bikini tops on over our clothing while in hotel rooms!

The End!

Huevos Rancheros

2009-03-13T05:13:00.001-05:00

It's Lent. That means not only a time of reflection and penance, but also for some of us: it also means meatless Fridays. Now, I love a good Fish Fry as much as the next person, and my church in particular does a fantastic version that we enjoy most Fridays in Lent. But sometimes, I'm in more of a "let's just eat at home" mood. And I don't want to pull out the batter and frying pan and make cole slaw, I just want a quick dinner and some quality time snuggling on the couch with a good book or movie on the TV.

Enter: Huevos Rancheros. Or more specifically: Smitten Kitchen's version of Huevos Rancheros.

I looooove these things. They are mad-easy to make, are healthy, and come together in no time at all. I usually make the salsa and beans ahead of time, and they both keep in the fridge forever if you want to make these on the fly during the week. Because to be honest: these are awesome any day of the week, not just Fridays during Lent.

These also rock because they are simple to do to order! Hubs likes to pile his Huevos Rancheros high with the beans, salsa, and topped with some meat (this time some leftover on top of the salsa and beans combo. So if you have picky eaters at home that expect a short-order cook, you can indulge them for an evening. Huevos Rancheros For Dinner = Total Win.

Huevos Rancheros

(adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

Ingredients:

6-inch corn tortillas

Shredded cheddar cheese (I used a pre-shredded Mexican cheese blend)

Eggs

Salt and pepper to taste

Black beans (see recipe below)

Salsa fresca (see recipe below)

Cilantro, sour cream, Tabasco, etc. Whatever you want to use to top them...

First, make your black beans and salsa fresca. If you are not feeling up to it: Jen @ SmittenKitchen recommends Goya Black Bean Soup, and I think that a good jarred salsa works just fine instead of the salsa fresca. Prep any other toppings you want to use: shred the cheese, chop the cilantro, get out the sour cream...

Now it's time to cook the egg and tortilla. NOTE: Take Jen's advice to heart: this is not going to win any "prettiest dish" awards, it's gonna be sloppy and untidy. Don't worry about that, it's gonna taste fantastic.

First, heat a medium pan (I used a nonstick, that works the best) over a medium-low or low heat (whatever works best on your stovetop for regular fried/cooked eggs). Get a little spray Pam or oil in that pan, just enough for a slight coat of oil.

Toss a corn tortilla in the heated pan. When it is golden brown underneath, flip it over. Sprinkle the browned side with a small amount of shredded cheese (2-3 tablespoons let's say), and let it melt a bit.

Once the cheese gets melty: break a single egg over the cheese, directly on the tortilla. NOTE: the whites will ooze off the tortilla and it's going to look messy. This is perfectly fine! I tidy mine up and push the whites around the tortilla, but it's not necessary. Salt and pepper to taste.

Cook the egg/tortilla until the whites around the sides are set and the middle whites just start to set. Now, flip the tortilla/egg. This is where it's going to be totally and completely messy. That's okay! Cook for a few more minutes to cook the egg through, then flip onto a plate.

Yay, all done! Now you just need to top it. Pile on the black beans, the salsa, and anything else that strikes your fancy (hot sauce, jalapeno slices, sour cream, more cheese...). The Hubster loves meat, so he chopped some breakfast steak and added it to his, as you can see from the photo. I think this is filling enough without any meat substance included...

For the black beans:

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 c. chopped onion

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. ground cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

In a medium saucepan, heat a splash of canola oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion, and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well, don't worry about smashing some of the beans (it will help with the texture). Cook until heated through, then keep warm until serving.

For the salsa fresca:
2 large fresh ripe tomatoes, chopped
1/2 large white onion, peeled and minced
1/4 teaspoon minced raw garlic, or to taste
1 habanero or jalapeño pepper, stemmed, seeded and minced, or to taste
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice or 1 teaspoon red-wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Combine all ingredients, taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.

Let the flavors marry for 15 minutes or so before serving, but serve within a couple of hours. Note: I think this keeps well for at least a few days in the fridge.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

2009-03-05T05:49:00.001-06:00

You know how the best part of a chocolate chip cookie is the texture? That whole crisp-yet-soft combo they have going on? Well, I was totally in the mood for that kind of cookie, but didn't want it from a chocolate chip cookie. I wanted a peanut-butter cookie with that sort of texture instead.

Problem is: most peanut butter cookies are either soft throughout, or crunchy. At least those I've encountered. Hmm. So I did what any girl would do - I went to see what Queen Dorie would say. Wouldn't you know it, she gives a variation of her chocolate chip to do just such a thing. Sah-weet.

These cookies turned out exactly as I wanted: a nice crispy outside with a soft, gooey interior. These are best warm, just like that perfect chocolate chip cookie (a few seconds in the microwave will help for those past the out-of-the-oven point). I was smart enough to send these away as a hostess gift and office offerings, otherwise I could have easily porked out on the entire 4 dozen of them...

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

(adapted from Dorie's chocolate chip cookie recipe)

Ingredients:

2 c. all purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 c. peanut butter

1 c. granulated sugar

2/3 c. packed light brown sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 c. TJ's mini peanut butter cups

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter and peanut butter together on medium speed for about 1 minute, until smooth.

Add the sugars and beat for another 2 minutes or so, until well blended and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each egg goes in.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients in 3 portions, mixing only until each addition is incorporated. On low speed, or by hand with a rubber spatula, mix in the mini cups.

Spoon out rounded tablespoons of dough and roll between your palms, to make a ball. Roll in sugar and place onto the baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between spoonfuls. Flatten balls slightly with a fork or decorative press.

Bake the cookies – one sheet at a time and rotating the sheets at the midway point – for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they are brown at the edges and golden in the center; they may be still a little soft in the middle, and that’s just fine.

Pull the sheet from the oven and allow the cookies to rest for 1 minute, then carefully using a wide metal spatula, transfer them to racks to cool to room temperature.

Blueberry Crumb Bars

2009-03-03T05:24:00.005-06:00

I've been a bit of a late bloomer in life, it's true. It took me a little while to get into things, take fashion for example. But! When I did, I did so with a vengeance, I assure you. Hence the Prada and Jimmy Choo dust bags littering my closet along with about 70 back issues of Vogue and a catalog of models' stats in my noodly little brain.

Well, there is sadly still a bit of this in me today. Like, can you believe I had never really read Smitten Kitchen until just a few weeks ago? Oh, yeah. Like, for real. I mean, I had heard of the blog and a few people spoke of the gorgeous photography on the blog, but I just never made my way over there. I even made a recipe from the site once, but I must have been in a hurry and didn't look up at all.

Well, whew! That was a mistake. I was just bee-bopping around on the Internet the other day and fell into one of Jen's posts, and my goodness - sucked right in. And as per my usual personality, I gobbled up her posts with a vengeance, like sat there oogling the photos and reading posts for at least a good few hours. And I copied like a million recipes. So be forewarned, there will be lots of Smitten Kitchen goodies probably posted on here in the future. I'll try to contain myself and spread them out a bit if that helps.

And on to the first of many I'm sure :) First up: Blueberry Bars. I wanted to make a bar recipe to take to my last book club meeting, but couldn't decide what to make. I didn't want anything too chocolatey, I had had my fill of peanut butter treats for awhile... And then, these screamed up at me to make them. Perfect! Especially in the winter, when you're starting to crave some fruit again. They were tart-ish but sweet, definitely buttery, and that crumbly topping is just to die for. Great recipe!

These bars will be my go-to fruit bar recipe from here on out, as I can see them in a million different incarnations, with peaches or cherries or strawberries or cranberries...

Blueberry Crumb Bars

(from allrecipes.com, by way of Smitten Kitchen)

Ingredients:

1 c. white sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

3 c. all-purpose flour

1 c. cold butter (2 sticks)

1 egg

1/4 tsp. salt

Zest and juice of one lemon

4 c. fresh blueberries

1/2 c. white sugar

4 tsp. cornstarch

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Grease a 9×13 inch pan.

In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour, and baking powder. Mix in salt and lemon zest. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the butter and egg. Dough will be crumbly. Pat half of dough into the prepared pan.

In another bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Gently mix in the blueberries. Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough.

Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. Cool completely before cutting into squares.

Chocolate Valentino and Chubby Hubs Ice Cream

2009-02-28T00:01:00.005-06:00

The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE's blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef. We have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge. Although I didn't use either ice cream recipe, as we were allowed to make any kind we wanted...

Okey dokey, the official wording is out of the way, so now I can do my real write up :)

Like probably half of the Daring Baker community, I made my cake for Valentine's Day. I mean really - what could be more romantic than a dense brownie-like cake and some homemade ice cream for dessert? I ran into a bit of a snag, but I was no worse for the wear.

This cake only has 3 ingredients. Now, at first reading I thought, Piece of cake! I'll have this one finished and done in no time. True, very true, but when I actually settled in to make it, I realized that if I mess up any part of this recipe, it'll be an expensive thing to re-do (especially since I was using my precious stash of Valrhona chocolate for this). But not to be easily intimidated, I forged ahead.

Things were a little hairy right off the bat, when I freaked for a second thinking I had overheated my butter/chocolate (therefore burning the chocolate to worthlessness), but thankfully that was fine. Whew! I whipped my whites and carefully folded them in. No screwing around. I carefully poured my batters into my cake pan and mini Le Creuset heart pan (perfect for pictures, thanks Anne!). I bake, and watch that lovely rise and slight fall of the cake, the characteristic dimpling of the top. I pulled the cakes out and set them too cool. Ten minutes later, faithful to the recipe, I picked up the round cake pan to unmold my cake.

Um. Well, here's where I had a problem: I went to gracefully (but quickly) flip it onto the cooling rack to finish cooling. Only I kinda moved too quick, and my pregnant butter-fingers started to lose grip on the pan. I fumbled with it, flipped it (very impressively, I might add) in the air, and then popped it with my palm when I went to desperately grasp it. Well, that was it. Up! it went and then Down! it landed. With a splat. Chocolate Valentino, shredded and smooshed and not looking too good:

Yeah.

It wasn't a total loss - I just let the darn thing cool in the state you see above, then chunked up the surviving parts to make a lovely ice cream parfait for our dinners. The Le Creuset heart, fortunately, was just fine so I used that the next morning to take pictures.

So: on to the cake. If you try this, keep in mind that there is no messing around with this Valentino recipe! Use good chocolate, as the cake will taste exactly like the chocolate you use. It gets a bit expensive (as you need to use a pound of chocolate), but that won't stop me from making this again. The cake ends up very dense, reminiscent of a brownie. Oooooh, so good.

We were asked to make homemade ice cream to accompany the cake. Initially I was going to make something plain, as I didn't want to overtake the glorious cake. Then at the last minute I changed my mind, when I thought about just how good Chubby Hubby is (and how much I didn't want to buy ice cream when I needed to also make ice cream...). I came up with my own version thanks in part to this recipe, and I must say: it tastes remarkably like the original. Awesome.

For those not in the know: Chubby Hubby is only the BEST flavor ever made by Ben & Jerry's. It's a malted vanilla ice cream with chunks of chocolate-covered, peanut-butter-filled pretzel nubs, and ribbons of peanut butter and fudge. It is salty and sweet and creamy and crunchy and just all-around perfect. Go buy a pint and see for yourself, or make my version below...

Chocolate Valentino

(from Sweet Treats by Chef Wan)

Ingredients:

16 oz. of roughly chopped chocolate (I used half Ghirardelli milk chocolate, half Valrhona bittersweet)

1/2 c. + 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

5 large eggs, separated

Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and melt, stirring often.

While your chocolate butter mixture is cooling. Butter your pan and line with a parchment circle then butter the parchment.

Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put into two medium/large bowls.

Whip the egg whites in a medium/large grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed (do not over-whip or the cake will be dry).

With the same beater beat the egg yolks together. Add the egg yolks to the cooled chocolate.

Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter.

Pour batter into prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 375 F. Bake for 25 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 140 F. Note – If you do not have an instant read thermometer, the top of the cake will look similar to a brownie and a cake tester will appear wet.

Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes, then unmold.

(Not Actually) Chubby Hubs Ice Cream

(my shameless adaption of B&J's Chubby Hubby, and no my Hubs is not actually chubby)

Ingredients:

2 c. half and half (or 1 c. heavy cream + 1 c. whole milk)

4 egg yolks

1/2 c. sugar, divided

A dash of salt

1 c. heavy cream

2/3 c. malt powder

1/2 recipe of Peanut Butter Swirl (follows)

Hot fudge (I just used jarred)

1 c. chocolate-covered, peanut-butter filled pretzel nuggets (World Market has them!)

Whisk yolks and 1/4 c. sugar until ribbon-like in a medium bowl.

Heat half and half and 1/4 c. sugar and the salt over medium heat until barely boiling, stirring constantly. Add the half and half mixture to the egg yolk mixture, slowly so as not to curdle the eggs, and return everything to the pan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-low heat and cook for about 10 minutes or so or until the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon (you're going to have to stir it the entire time and probably will be using a wooden spoon, so at some point, take the spoon out, run your finger down the back and if the track stays 'clear', the mixture is done).

Turn off the heat, and add the heavy cream to cool the mix and then strain into the medium bowl.

Put the bowl over a larger bowl filled with ice water and stir in order to speed up the cooling process, whisk in the malt and vanilla, and then chill in the refrigerator overnight to make the following day.

Mix the malted custard in your ice cream maker as directed. Once the ice cream has finished churning (after 20-40 minutes): place in your freezable container. Add a few blobs of Peanut Butter Swirl and hot fudge, and fold a few times into the soft ice cream mixure. Add the pretzels, and fold 2-3 more times to fully incorporate. Freeze for at least a few hours before serving.

Peanut Butter Swirl

Ingredients:

1 c. creamy peanut butter

1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

3-4 Tbsp. heavy cream, to thin

Whip peanut butter until fluffy. Slowly add the sweetened condensed milk. Once incorporated, use the heavy cream to thin the mixure a bit.

Naan

2009-02-25T05:53:00.000-06:00

I love our local corner Indian restaurant. Every afternoon they have a fantastic buffet, chock-full of tandoori and chicken tikka masala, aloo mutter and veggie korma; as well as pakora, tikki, and samosa galore.

But best of all, to scoop up every spicy bite - hot, soft-yet-crispy naan, that buttery Indian flatbread that is to die for. Well, on the buffet at India Palace, the naan is the first thing to disappear. Usually you and your fellow diners enjoy your lunch with one eye on the buffet - once the piping hot naan hits the warming plate, you lunge to get yours before it's gone again, which doesn't take but a minute or two. Good stuff, that naan.

This one has a smiley face!

If you are like me and eat Indian out a bit too much for your pocketbook, then you decide to just make your own Indian at home. Much more economical. And yet, you strike out again if you try to get your naan at the grocery store: for one, it's a poor substitute to the fresh stuff. Secondly, you're going to pay a ton for 2 measly pieces. Ladies and gents, let me tell you: this is the point where you realize you just have to make the naan yourself.

Making your own naan is easy, cheap, and this recipe makes A TON so no worries about running out! Almost exactly what you get from the restaurants (I don't have the clay tandoor, but the grilled version here is pretty darn close). Give it a shot next time you make your own Indian at home - well worth the effort.

Naan
(from Allrecipes)

Ingredients:
1 pkg. active dry yeast
1 c. warm water
1/4 c. white sugar
3 Tbsp. milk
1 egg, beaten
2 tsp. salt
4 1/2 c. bread flour
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 c. butter, melted

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.

Punch down dough, and knead in garlic. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

During the second rising, preheat grill to high heat.

At grill side, roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle. Lightly oil grill. Place dough on grill, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter, and turn over. Brush cooked side with butter, and cook until browned, another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from grill, and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared.

Cornbread Supreme

2009-02-22T06:00:00.005-06:00

We had a charity Chili Cookoff at my office, and I offered to bring some cornbread - mainly because I had the best, most delicious recipe for cornbread compliments of Ali over at Divine Domesticity. It is the perfect companion to the Calico Beans, but also works with chili or ham n' greens or hearty stews... Or by itself, too, that works :)

I omitted the green chiles this time because I was making it for others (who probably are not used to the heat coming from their sweet cornbread), but it's fantastic in there, so give it a shot at least once. This cornbread is more moist than your usual, and so much more flavorful. I love the addition of all that actual corn that dots the inside, and the slight heat that comes from the chiles. Stir in some of the cheese if you want to incorporate that flavor throughout as well (I certainly do on occasion). Great stuff! Best warm, but will work at room temperature too. And feeds a crowd...

Cornbread Supreme

(from Ali)

Ingredients:

1 (16 oz.) can whole kernel corn, drained

1 (16 oz.) can cream style corn

1 (4 oz.) can diced green chiles

16 oz. container sour cream

4 eggs, slightly beaten

1 cup margarine or butter, melted

2 boxes Jiffy cornbread mix (7 1/2 oz. each)

2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

In a large bowl, combine cornbread mix, sour cream, butter, whole kernel corn, cream style corn, diced chiles, and eggs. Place in a lightly greased 9" x 13" baking dish and sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese.

Bake at 350 F for 45 to 50 minutes, or until golden on top and cooked through.

Muzzy's Ice Cream Sandwiches

2009-02-19T05:02:00.000-06:00

A favorite treat from my younger days – my mom used to make a ton of these, and keep them in the deep freezer in our basement. This was perfect, as half of our basement was finished off into a rec room/play area where we spent a ton of time growing up. That made it easy for us kids - just walk to the back room of the basement and snitch one of these goodies when we wanted a treat.

They are deceptively easy: just store-bought cookies and Cool Whip, that’s all you need. That doesn’t mean they aren’t fantastic, though! The Cool Whip is better than ice cream if you ask me, not sticky and thick but instead light and creamy even when frozen. The cookies are kinda blah on their own but make perfectly crispy, fudgey bookends to an ice cream sandwich. Oh, so divine, a definite taste of my childhood. These are a mainstay in our freezer.

Muzzy Ice Cream Sandwiches
(from Muzzy)

Ingredients:
1 pkg. fudge-striped shortbread cookies
1 container Cool Whip

Spread a few tablespoons of Cool Whip On the bottom of one of the cookies. Top with a 2nd cookie. Make as many as desired, setting them on a baking sheet when prepped. Place in freezer for 2-3 hours until set, then wrap each individually with wax paper. Keep in the freezer in freezable container or Ziploc bag. Makes about 2 dozen sandwiches, which will last absolutely forever in your freezer :)

Chicken Ravioli Soup with Zucchini and Tomatoes

2009-02-17T05:43:00.003-06:00

Most Sundays, I find myself roasting a chicken. Not just for dinner, though (and this recipe, by the way? The best; I use it as my standard recipe). With just me and Hubs in the house, that means I can de-bone the rest of the chicken and have meat for, at the very least, one more meal. Plus the diced meat freezes really well.

More often than not, I roast that chicken and just de-bone it right away, so that ALL the meat can be used for casseroles or chicken salad or whatever little recipe I am taken with at the moment. Last week I found a great recipe for a chicken soup base on Allrecipes, and also linked to it was a nice brothy soup. So, that was my latest reincarnation from a roasted chicken.

This soup is fairly healthy and tasty! I made it so we could have soup to grab for lunches, and we slurped up every last bit. The raviolis make the soup a little more hearty, and are a nice twist from your usual chicken noodle variety out there. Freezes well too, which is perfect: I'm currently (desperately!) stocking the freezer for when the little Robot arrives. And be sure to use the soup base recipe linked below - it's an easy way to make your own broth and starter for chicken-based soups.

Chicken Ravioli Soup with Zucchini and Tomatoes

(from Allrecipes)

Ingredients:
1 recipe Fast Chicken Soup Base
1 (8 or 9 oz.) package refrigerated small cheese ravioli

1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes
2 medium zucchini, diced
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 c. chopped fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Prepare Fast Chicken Soup Base. Bring to a simmer.

Add the next 4 ingredients, then simmer until tender, 10-20 minutes. All done! Before removing from heat, stir in: 1/2 c. chopped fresh parsley. Salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Cookies and Cream Rice Krispie Treats

2009-02-15T17:40:00.001-06:00

These were awesome. Seriously awesome.

Another treat I made, this time especially for my brother Paulo. He has this addiction to Oreos, you see. I mean, bad. He has been this way from the time he could toddle around. My mom didn't really stock the pantry with them, but my brother was entranced by the ads on TV. "Oreo" was one of the first words he learned how to spell, thanks to those ads. In fact, because of his adoration, my mother actually started buying Oreos. He loved them; you'd never know from his beanpole physique, but he grew up eating these things all the time, and I mean all the time, even for breakfast. His obsession with all things Oreo continues until this day: the man has Oreo novelties galore, notepads and cookbooks and tins. Tins full of Oreos, of course. Don't know what to get Paul as a gift? Anything Oreo-themed is probably going to be well received, fortunately.

So, back to the baking: I was headed over to my brother's one Sunday and promised to bring dessert. I wanted to make Rice Krispie treats, and obviously wanted to have some fun with them. Adding Oreos, I decided, would be a no brainer. I did a quick Internet search, which brought up these and these and these... Oreo Rice Krispie treats are popular things, apparently! I liked bits of several recipes, so played around with them until I had what you see pictured.

These are more of a cookies and creme treat - chocolate rice krispie bars studded with chunks of Oreo cookies, and dipped in a creamy white chocolate topped with crushed Oreos. Oh, yes. And they taste as good as they sound! Needless to say, the ton of leftovers never made it out of my brother's house.

Cookies and Cream Rice Krispie® Treats
(Adapted from several recipes)

Ingredients:
1/2 c. chunks bittersweet chocolate
3-4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
10 oz. (1 pkg) marshmallows
1 tsp. vanilla
6 c. Rice Krispie® cereal
15-20 Oreo® cookies, chopped
4-6 oz. white chocolate, chopped
15 Oreo® cookies

Place bittersweet chocolate in a small bowl. Microwave on high for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted. Set aside. Grease a 9X13 pan, and also set aside.

Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add marshmallows, and stir until melted and combined with butter. Turn off heat, and stir in melted bittersweet chocolate and vanilla. Gently stir in cereal and chopped cookies, and mix to coat evenly. Press into 9X13 pan, leveling the top (a buttered spatula works wonders here). Allow to cool completely.

Once cooled: cut into squares. Place remaining cookies in a food processor, and pulse until finely ground. Pour out onto a plate, for dipping. Place white chocolate in a small bowl. Microwave on high for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted.

Dip the top of each square into the white chocolate, and then the crushed cookies. Set aside to cool and set completely. These will keep in an air-tight container like, forever. We still had one left over a week after I made them, and it was DELICIOUS.

Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

2009-02-10T05:54:00.000-06:00

Oh my goodness! Where in the world does the time go?? Sorry for the week’s delay, it’s been chaos here. I’ve been working 12+ hour days and trying to keep up at home and spending actual time with other humans in-between, so I haven’t had much time to bake or blog unfortunately. Thank goodness I have this little gem of a recipe left over from SuperBowl time!

There isn’t much of a trick to these brownies – they are Dorie’s signature recipe, which I hadn’t tried before. Rich and much softer than this version, so I am still on the hunt for the perfect chewy-yet-rich brownie recipe. We shall find it one of these days, I have faith.

To up the ante on these, I decided to add some TJ mini peanut-butter cups. There isn’t a Trader Joe’s anywhere near me, but fortunately my sister Anne keeps me hooked up with all their goodies so that we don’t die from TJ withdrawals out here in Larryville. And FYI, the TJ peanut-butter cups are deemed clear of that whole Salmonella scare, so no fear in baking with them either. They added just the right amount of peanut-buttery goodness to these brownies.

Unfortunately I cut them while still a wee bit warm, so the cups oozed out all over the place. Only really a problem in the photogenic sense, though, the oozey goodness was just fine in a brownie…

Peanut Butter Cup Brownies
(adapted from the lovely Ms. Dorie Greenspan)

Ingredients:
2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces
9 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 c. sugar
4 large eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 container Trader Joe's mini peanut butter cups (for you poor slobs with no TJs: that's about 3/4 c. chopped regular peanut butter cups)

Getting Ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 F. Line a 9-x-13-inch baking pan with foil, butter the foil and place the pan on a baking sheet.

Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Put the butter in the bowl, top with the chopped chocolate and stir occasionally until the ingredients are just melted - you don't want them to get so hot that the butter separates. Remove the bowl from the pan of water.

With a whisk, stir in the sugar. The mixture might get grainy, but it will even out. Whisk in the eggs one by one, then add the vanilla and whisk enthusiastically to smooth the batter. Finally, gently whisk in the salt and flour, stirring only until incorporated. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Gently stir in peanut butter cups.

Bake the brownies until the top is dull and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, usually about 40 minutes. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool the brownies to room temperature.

When they are completely cool, turn out onto a rack, peel away the foil and invert onto a cutting board. Cut into 32 slender rectangles, each roughly 2 1/4 x 1 1/2 inches.

Jean's Cream Puff Cake

2009-02-02T05:29:00.002-06:00

Once upon a time, a darling coworker (Jean!) made this cake for one of our coworkers on her birthday. It was soooo good, we were all begging for the recipe. Jean was kind enough to share, and I couldn't even wait I week. I had to make this thing again. It's a lot of cake for just me and Hubs (and Robot), though, so the plan was to bring it into work for my coworkers to yet again enjoy.

I tend to get to work early, about 6am. I didn't want this sucker sitting around warming up in our department (it's best chilled), so I put it in one of the fridges in the breakroom, on the bottom shelf near the back, as to not be in the way of my fellow coworker's lunches and yogurts and such.

Flash forward to 3 days later - I realize, as I shove my lunch in the breakroom fridge that morning, that nooooo! The cake, it's still in here! I had completely forgotten to put it out for my coworkers. I pulled it out of the fridge, popped open the lid to check it out. The cream-puff base had gotten a bit soggy by that point, so I sadly had to toss it in the trash. However there was one peculiar thing to note:

About a third of it was missing. Someone had decided to help themselves to the cake, and then came back for seconds and thirds. Either that, or a whole pack of employees went at it. Dude, seriously? Is nothing personal or sacred in the community office fridge??

I hope this story shows you just how good this cake is, though - worth the crime of sneaking into someone else's pan, in broad (office breakroom fluorescent lighting) daylight. With potential witnesses sitting around, no less. And perhaps later some sort of reprimand for your actions. The cake is EXACTLY like a cream puff - poofy, not sweet, but with a pudding-type filling (on top instead) and whipped cream and chocolate sweet chocolate...

Yeah I don't blame the person or persons, really. I probably would have done it, too.

Jean's Cream Puff Cake

(from my sweetheart of a coworker, Jean)

Ingredients:

1 stick (8 Tbsp.) unsalted butter

1 c. water

1 c. flour

4 large eggs

4 c. milk

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

3 (3.5 oz) pkgs. instant vanilla pudding

1 container Cool Whip
Chocolate syrup

Preheat oven to 400 F.

In a large heavy saucepan, heat butter and water to boiling over medium-high heat. Add flour and reduce heat to low. Cook and stir until it forms a ball and pulls away from the pan. Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each egg.
Spread in bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 9x13 inch pan. Bake at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 35 minutes. Cool completely.

To make the filling: In a large bowl, combine cream cheese and milk and beat until smooth. Here's the trick, to keep things smooth: start with the cream cheese, give it a good beating until fluffy. Slowly but surely (while still beating), add the milk. Voila! Once these are well combined, add pudding mix and beat until thickened. Spread over cooled shell.

Top with whipped topping, and drizzle chocolate syrup over the top. Keep refrigerated until serving.

Chicken Tikka Masala with Saffron Rice Pulau

2009-01-31T16:47:00.006-06:00

Chicken Tikka Masala, the chop suey of Indian cuisine.

Ah yes, that's right sadly: not actually of Indian origin, Chicken Tikka Masala is in fact a British creation. But incredibly tasty, I must say, and a nice introduction to the flavors and spices of India for the uninitiated. It is still right behind butter chicken and tandoori in my list of "favorite Indian dish". Even though it's not really Indian. Er, but you know what I mean. Whatever.

Essentially, it is a rich, tomato-based sauce mellowed with some cream and fragrant with garam masala, coriander, and cumin. Then you toss in chicken steeped in garlicky yogurt marinade. Good stuff. Chicken Tikka Masala is as comforting on a winter evening as any American beef stew; just serve over basmati rice with a side of naan. This version is good, but still missing "something" from what my local place can make. I'll keep tinkering, maybe add more heat or some cardamom. Until then, try this one...

Chicken Tikka Masala

(from Jamie's Dinners)

Ingredients:

6 cloves of garlic, peeled

3 in. fresh ginger, peeled

2 or 3 fresh red chilis, seeded

Olive oil

1 Tbsp. mustard seeds

1 Tbsp. paprika

2 tsp. ground cumin

2 tsp. ground coriander

3 Tbsp. garam masala, divided

Generous 3/4 c. plain yogurt

4 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into large chunks

1 Tbsp. butter

2 medium onions, sliced very thin

2 Tbsp. tomato purée

1/3 to 1/2 c. cashews or almonds, ground very fine in a food processor

Salt

1/2 c. heavy cream

Fresh cilantro, chopped

Limes

If you're using a mini-chopper, use it to finely mince the garlic, ginger, and chilis. Alternately, you can grate them on the smallest teeth of a grater, or chop with a knife.

Heat a splash of olive oil in a large skillet or sauté pan. Add the mustard seeds. When they begin to pop, remove from the heat immediately and add them to the garlic mixture (once mustard seeds start popping, they will pop all over the place, so watch carefully and remove from heat as soon as the first one goes "pop." Toss a lid on that sucker too, so you don't lose all the seeds!)

Add the paprika, cumin, coriander, and 2 Tbsp of the garam masala. Put half of this mix in a large bowl, add the yogurt, and stir in the chicken, making sure to coat all sides with the marinade. Let it sit for about a half-hour.

Melt the butter in the large saucepan and add the sliced onions and remaining half of the garlic-spice mixture. Cook gently for at least 15 minutes. Do not brown the onions; you're trying to soften them up and mellow the spices. Add the tomato puree, ground nuts, 2 1/2 cups of water, and 1/2 tsp of salt. Stir well and bring to a gentle boil. Let the sauce reduce and thicken slightly (about 5 minutes), then reduce heat to low.

Cook the marinated chicken on a grill or under the broiler, until just cooked through.

While the chicken is cooking, add the cream and remaining 1 Tbsp of garam masala to the sauce and bring it up to a boil, then add the chicken. Check the seasoning, adding salt or cayenne pepper if desired. Top the chicken with cilantro and squeeze lime juice over the top. Serve with basmati rice or Saffron Rice Pulau (below).

Saffron Rice Pulau

(from The Cookbook Critic)

Ingredients:

1/4 tsp. saffron threads

1/4 c. hot water

2 Tbsp. butter

2 cinnamon sticks

10 whole cloves

1 tsp. cumin seeds

2 c. basmati rice, rinsed well

1/3 c. raw cashews

Put the saffron threads in the hot water and set aside to steep until serving time.

Melt the butter over medium heat in a medium-sized saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Add the cinnamon, cloves, and cumin seeds and stir, 1 minute. Drain the rice well, then add to the pot and stir-fry until the grains are coated and the rice begins to smell fragrant, about 3 minutes.

Add 3 cups water and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover. Cook until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Remove cinnamon sticks and cloves. Just before serving, pour in the saffron water and stir well to combine.

To garnish, roast the raw cashews in a 350 degree oven until light golden, about 8 to 10 minutes (watch carefully, nuts burn quickly). Top rice with nuts and serve alongside Chicken Tikka Masala.

Tuiles

2009-01-29T00:01:00.008-06:00

This month's challenge is brought to us by Karen of Baking Soda and Zorra of 1x umruehren bitte aka Kochtopf. They have chosen Tuiles from The Chocolate Book by Angélique Schmeink and Nougatine and Chocolate Tuiles from Michel Roux. I was a wee bit sad at first, knowing the baking reputations these two lovely Europeans have, but was happy nonetheless to tackle the recipe, as I had never tried tuiles before :)

The whole bit of choosing this recipe for January was to help those who need some waistline mending following the December holidays. Amen! I personally can't actually diet, but eating healthy is very important these days, so I was glad to take on the challenge. We were asked to make our tuiles in any shape we desired, and pair with a light, healthy filling.

I made small baskets out of mine, simply pushing the hot round cookies into my tiny brioche molds to set. Taking advantage of the fact that the grocer actually had some plump tasty strawberries in the dead of winter, I used these tuile cups to serve up one of my favorite combos - fresh strawberries with a reduced balsamic vinegar.

Oh, mmmm - the tart and sweet and yet Terribly Healthy in a crisp cookie was just perfect. The balsamic reduction was compliments of Trader Joe's (one of several foodie Christmas gifts from my amazing sis Anne), so no recipe to follow unfortunately. Sorry for that. You can surf the Interwebs to find many a recipe though, I am sure.

Thanks to both Karen and Zorra for the recipe - I rather liked it, and will probably give these little light cookies a go again (and probably again). And as always - be sure to check out those other Daring Baker creations out there!

Tuiles

(from The Chocolate Book by Angélique Schmeinck, 1993)

Ingredients:

1/4 c.softened butter (not melted but soft)

1/2 c. sifted confectioner’s sugar

Dash of vanilla extract

2 large egg whites (slightly whisked with a fork)

1/2 c. sifted all purpose flour

1 Tbsp. cocoa powder

Butter or spray to grease baking sheet

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Using a hand whisk or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle (low speed) and cream butter, sugar and vanilla to a paste. Keep stirring while you gradually add the egg whites. Continue to add the flour in small batches and stir to achieve a homogeneous and smooth batter/paste. Be careful to not overmix.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to firm up. (This batter will keep in the fridge for up to a week, take it out 30 minutes before you plan to use it).

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease with either butter/spray and chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. This will help spread the batter more easily if using a stencil/cardboard template such as the butterfly. Press the stencil on the baking sheet and use an offset spatula to spread batter. Leave some room in between your shapes. Mix a small part of the batter with the cocoa and a few drops of warm water until evenly colored. Use this colored batter in a paper piping bag and proceed to pipe decorations on the wings and body of the butterfly (I totally skipped the cocoa-colored decorative bit myself).

Bake butterflies in a preheated oven (350 F) for about 5-10 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown. Immediately release from baking sheet and proceed to shape/bend the cookies in the desired shape. These cookies have to be shaped when still warm, you might want to bake a small amount at a time or maybe put them in the oven to warm them up again.

Or: place a baking sheet toward the front of the warm oven, leaving the door half open. The warmth will keep the cookies malleable.

If you don’t want to do stencil shapes, you might want to transfer the batter into a piping bag fitted with a small plain tip. Pipe the desired shapes and bake. Shape immediately after baking using for instance a rolling pin, a broom handle, cups, cones….

Seared Venison Roast with a Blueberry Reduction, and Celery Root Mash

2009-01-27T05:59:00.006-06:00

My Hubs is a hunter at heart, he doesn't get away to do it much anymore but when he does, we eat well for awhile. This winter he went deer hunting, and came back home with lots of venison for us to use: ground, cubed, and loins. The loin is the good stuff, and we're in for a treat when one of the loins is being thawed for dinner - that usually means we're making Venison with Blueberry Reduction.

Originally this came from an episode of Emeril on the Food Network, many many, like 3 apartments before we bought our home (and we lived in every apartment a good 2-3 years) - yeah, like that many years ago. I couldn't find the original on their site, only our chicken-scratch re-write we've been using for years, so that's what you're getting. Not quite sure how much we changed things up, but I will say this: it is very, very good.

I nuked my meat a bit longer (darn baby Robot ruins all my fun food adventures), but this is best when the meat is seared - venison is very delicate, it works best with the meat's texture and flavor to keep it rare in the center. The blueberry reduction is incredible, just barely sweet with plenty of tart and woodsy savory and oh my goodness - I could just cover everything and anything I eat in the stuff, if only it wasn't a bit too hands-on to make on a daily basis.

We usually have this with mashed potatoes, but this time we switched things up and did a celery root mash. Ooooh, so good. And healthier, for those watching their carbs! The celery root actually paired with the venison and blueberry reduction much better than potatoes did. So if you give this recipe a shot, go with the celery root mash for sure.

Seared Venison Roast with a Blueberry Reduction
(adapted from Emeril Legasse)

Ingredients:

1 venison loin , about 8 oz. (or, use 8-oz. venison chops)

Salt and pepper

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. finely diced shallots

1 tsp. minced garlic

1/2 c. crushed blueberries

5-6 juniper berries

1 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. chopped rosemary

1/4 c. balsamic vinegar

1/4 c. dry red wine

1/4 c. gin

1 c. beef demi-glace

1 Tbsp. chopped sage

1 Tbsp. cold butter

Lightly season the venison loin on all sides with salt and black pepper. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat. When the oil starts to smoke, add the loin and sear for 3 minutes. Lower the heat to medium and turn the loin. For medium-rare, cook the loin for 2 to 3 minutes on each turn/side, until you've gone all the way around the loin. Transfer the loin to a plate and let rest, covered loosely with foil.

Return the skillet to medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add the blueberries, juniper berries, sugar, and rosemary and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the balsamic vinegar and red wine and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, about 1 minute.

Add the gin, being careful of flames, and stir to deglaze the pan. (Alternately, remove the pan from the heat and ignite with a match.) When the flames die out, add the demi-glace and sage, and stir well.

Return the loin to the pan and cook to warm the meat through, about 1 minute. Add the cold butter, salt and cracked black pepper, to taste, and swirl to incorporate. Remove from the heat.

Celery Root Mash

(adapted from Chow)

Ingredients:

1 large Celeriac (celery root)
1 large Russet baking potato
2-3 Tablespoons Cream
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 Teaspoon Salt (+ more to taste)
Cracked Black Pepper to taste

Peel the celeriac root and wash any extra traces of dirt off. Wash the potatoes well. *Please note: we left the peels on for extra texture, but you can peel your potatoes if you like.

Cut the celeriac and potatoes into medium sized pieces. Put into a large cooking pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and then reduce head to a simmer. Cook until soft enough to mash, about 30–40 minutes. Drain and let sit covered in the same pot that you used to cook them in, for about 5 minutes to remove excess water.

Add cream, salt and then mash. I like to use a hand held masher as I dig texture in my mashed potatoes. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper. I love this side in its "pure state", but feel free to go nuts - lots of herbs would complement this well.

To plate, place 1/2 of the celery root mash on each of 2 large plates, and place 3-4 slices of loin on top of the mash. Pour the sauce over the chops and around the plates. Serve immediately.

The 6th Picture

2009-01-25T19:04:00.001-06:00

I was tagged by the darling Sarah at Jagged Diary! Here's the instructions on the tag:

"Go to your documents folder (or wherever you store your photos) and go to your 6th picture folder, then go to the 6th picture in that folder and post it on your blog. Tell a story about it."

Well, oddly enough: it's a food shot. Go figure ;) This is from my post on those pretty little Magnolia Bakery cupcakes, which I blogged about last February. Kinda dry, but not bad! You can read all about them here.

Be back on Tuesday, with a nice little post involving venison, blueberries, and gin. Good stuff. And thanks for the tag Sarah!

Eggs Benedict

2009-01-23T05:17:00.000-06:00

Another weekend yummy from Hubs' favorite issue of Saveur!

For the record: I realized at the last possible second, forked raised over plate, that hmm - perhaps a raw-egg sauce and underdone egg yolks aren't exactly the best fare for a pregnant woman. So I miserably watched Hubs scarf his (and mine) down for his morning meal, while I half-heartedly picked at my side of home-fried potatoes. Which were delicious but not quite as yummy as those eggs benedict looked, with their lemony-yellow sauce and oozing yolks, crispy bacon and toasty muffin... Drats.

Eggs Benedict

(from Saveur magazine, #114)

Ingredients:

FOR THE EGGS:

Salt

2 Tbsp. white vinegar

4 eggs

2 English muffins, split

3 Tbsp. butter

4 slices Canadian bacon

FOR THE HOLLANDAISE:

12 Tbsp. unsalted butter

3 egg yolks

2-3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Salt and freshly ground white pepper

For the eggs: Bring a medium skillet of salted water to a simmer over medium heat; add vinegar. Crack eggs into 4 small dishes. Slip eggs into simmering water, turn off heat, cover, and cook until whites are just firm, 4 minutes. Transfer eggs with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice water and set aside.

Preheat oven to 200 F. Toast muffins, then spread with some of the butter. Transfer to 2-4 plates; keep warm in oven. Melt remaining butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Fry bacon until browned, about 5 minutes. Place bacon on muffins; keep warm in oven.

For the hollandaise: Melt butter in a small pan over low heat. Whisk egg yolks, lemon juice, 1 tbsp. water, and salt and pepper to taste in a heavy, nonreactive saucepan until pale yellow; then cook, whisking constantly over medium-low heat, until whisk leaves a trail in eggs, about 8 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Add butter 1 tbsp. at a time, whisking constantly, until sauce thickens; gradually pour in remaining butter, whisking constantly, leaving milky solids behind.

Reheat eggs in a skillet of simmering water for 1 minute; transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. To serve, carefully place egg on bacon, and spoon some hollandaise on top. Garnish with parsley, if you like.

Cherry Chocolate Muffins

2009-01-20T05:25:00.004-06:00

When I was little, my parents used to can Door County cherries every year (I think they were Door County, anyway - my mom would put in an order at the grocers every year for a giant container of them, and then she'd split it up and jar them for use throughout the year). My absolute favorite use of those cherries? After-church cherry muffins. You knew it was going to be a good Sunday when our parents sent us down to the dark chilly basement to get a jar of those cherries off of the canning shelf.

Theirs were soft, warm muffins dotted with juicy cherries, and slathered with a thick smear of butter. Oh, so good. Here's my own version. Who doesn't like chocolate in a muffin, right? And for those of you giving these the sidelong glance and mumbling about mislabeling: no way, these are absolutely not cupcakes. They are a proper breakfast muffin. Do you see any frosting on these suckers? Yeah, that's what I thought. Told you, definitely muffins. Duh.

Anyhoo: I used a dark chocolate-cherry bar for the chocolate in this recipe (compliments of my sister Anne), which helped deepen the cherry flavor. In the spirit of my roots, I also used canned cherries. These muffins were soft, moist, and dense (but not too heavy); the cherries were, as they always are in muffins, so good. Ah, perfect.

Cherry Chocolate Muffins
(adapted from Dorie's Chocolate Chocolate-Chunk Muffins)

Ingredients:
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 c. all purpose flour
2/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. cocoa powder, sifted
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 c. buttermilk
1 large egg
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

2/3 c. pitted tart cherries

Center a rack in the oven and preheat oven to 375 F. Butter or spray a 12- slot muffin pan, or line with muffin liners. Place pan on a baking sheet.

Melt butter and half the chopped chocolate in a bowl over simmering water (or in the microwave). Take off heat and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, whisk the buttermilk, egg, and vanilla together until well combined.
Pour the buttermilk mixture and the chocolate mixture into the dry ingredients. Mix gently but quickly to blend, but do not over mix as this will toughen the muffins. A few lumps are OK! Carefully stir in the remaining chopped chocolate and cherries.

Divide batter among the muffin tins. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a thin skewer inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean. Cool pan on a rack for 5 minutes before removing muffins from pan.

Austrian Goulash Soup

2009-01-18T15:56:00.005-06:00

The story in the cookbook says that this soup can be found along the autobahn, served at roadside stops. Not sure how authentic that little story is, but I can tell you this: the soup is worth that kind of tale.

It is killer - big chunks of beef and potato, lots of good veg, all in a thickened stew fragrant with sweet paprika and caraway. Not a delicate soup in the least - this is a robust, stick-to-your ribs kind of a soup. Perfect for a comfy lunch in the cold days of a Midwestern winter.

Austrian Goulash Soup

(from the "Yellow Bible", aka The Gourmet Cookbook, 2004)

Ingredients:
5 slices bacon, chopped
3 lbs. boneless chuck, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
4 medium onions, chopped fine
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 Tbsp. paprika (preferably Hungarian sweet; Penzey's has it)
1 1/2 tsp. caraway seeds
1/3 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. red-wine vinegar
1/4 c. tomato paste
5 c. beef broth
5 c. water
1/2 tsp. salt
2 red bell peppers, chopped fine (I am cheap and used green bells)
4 large russet (baking) potatoes (Yukon Golds will work well, also)

In an 8-quart heavy kettle cook bacon over moderate heat, stirring, until crisp and transfer with a slotted spoon to a large bowl. In fat remaining in kettle brown chuck in small batches over high heat, transferring it as browned with slotted spoon to bowl.

Reduce heat to moderate and add oil. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring, until golden. Stir in paprika, caraway seeds, and flour and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Whisk in vinegar and tomato paste and cook, whisking, 1 minute. (Mixture will be very thick.) Stir in broth, water, salt, bell peppers, bacon, and chuck and bring to a boil, stirring. Simmer soup, covered, stirring occasionally, 45 minutes.

Peel potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Add potatoes to soup and simmer, covered, occasionally until tender, about 30 minutes. Season soup with salt and pepper. Soup may be made 3 days ahead and cooled, uncovered, before chilling, covered. Reheat soup, thinning with water if desired.

Orange Chocolate Shortbreads

2009-01-14T05:51:00.004-06:00

I originally planned on taking these to a Christmas cookie exchange, but sadly I was much to exhausted and sick at the time to attend that (drats, but that was a bummer). So sadly, the dough went in the freezer and I figured that some day, another chance to use it would come around.

Enter: yet another office potluck. And thank goodness for frozen dough! I am not sure how much of an effect the freezing had on it, but the shortbreads didn't spread much in the oven, which was lovely.

I took 2 different Dorie Greenspan recipes and used a bit from each to come up with these, and it seemed to work quite well. I didn't want boring old regular shortbreads, I wanted something a little more interesting than that. I added some orange zest which gave them a nice orange undertone, and the tiny chunks of bittersweet chocolate gave the cookies just enough umph to shake things up a bit. All in all a very good side-of-the-saucer cookie!

Orange Chocolate Shortbreads

(adapted from Dorie's recipe)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1/4 c. cornstarch

1/4 tsp. salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 c. light brown sugar

2 Tbsp. orange juice or 1 tsp. orange zest

1/2 c. finely chopped bittersweet chocolate

Sift together the flour, cornstarch, and salt. Set aside.

Working with a stand mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar together on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until the mixture is very smooth. Add the orange juice (or zest). Reduce the mixer to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until the flour is incorporated.

Add the chocolate and give the mixture a few turns, just to get the chocolate incorporated into the dough. Roll dough into a tube (log) shape, and wrap in plastic wrap.

Refrigerate the dough at least 2 hours, or up to 2 days. The dough also freezes well (for up to 3 months). To bake: preheat your oven to 350 F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Slice the dough into 1 1/2-inch slices, and transfer to baking sheets.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bo0ttom and front to back at the midway point. The shortbreads will be pale - they shouldn't take on much color. Transfer the cookies to a rack. Cool to room temperature before serving.

Smoked Salmon Hash

2009-01-12T05:21:00.005-06:00

I love Hubs dearly. One of the man's many attributes is that his cooking is quite stellar. In fact, when we first were dating I used to pretend that I didn't have the slightest idea as to how to cook, so that he would come over and make dinner for me most evenings. Ah, but those were the days.

Nowadays I must admit, I do most of the cooking. He gets off of work much later than me, and I really do enjoy cooking (fairly relaxing after a long day of work). But weekends - ah, those weekends are when Hubs is in his prime. The man loves nothing more than to spend his Saturday morning puttering around the kitchen, pulling together a rather elaborate breakfast for the two of us to enjoy.

So, imagine the man's complete and utter JOY when a recent issue of Saveur magazine arrived in our mailbox, as it was devoted entirely to - you guessed it - breakfast (thanks for that subscription, Coco). One of the first recipes he tried out of this one was the hash, a particular favorite of his.

The original recipe was for a smoked trout hash, but we had problems finding that around these parts (now if we were in Wisconsin, it wouldn't have been a problem...). Went with a smoked salmon instead, and I must say it was still quite divine! It is amazing but true - the addition of cream really does give the hash an extra-crispy coating. You must try it! All in all the dish was very crispy, filling, and the lemon (and cream sauce with horseradish) really zinged things up nicely. Amazing with your morning eggs and toast.

Smoked Salmon Hash

(Adapted from Saveur magazine, #114)

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1 lb. boiled and cooled russet potatoes, cut into 1⁄2" cubes

1 small yellow onion, finely chopped

4 oz. boneless smoked salmon, diced into 1⁄2" chunks

1⁄4 c. heavy cream

1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh dill

1⁄4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 Tbsp. crème fraîche

2 tsp. prepared horseradish

Finely chopped fresh parsley

Lemon wedges

Heat 3 tbsp. of the butter in a 10" skillet over medium-high heat. Add potatoes; cook, stirring, until lightly browned, 8–10 minutes.

Add remaining tbsp. of butter and onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions soften, about 10 minutes. Add salmon, heavy cream, dill, cayenne pepper, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine.

Turn hash in parts every 2 minutes, loosening any browned bits, until potatoes are golden brown, about 12 minutes.

Divide hash between 2 plates. Combine crème fraîche with horseradish. Garnish hash with sauce, parsley, and a squeeze of lemon.

Hawaiian Fruitcake

2009-01-09T05:06:00.001-06:00

Yeah, fruitcake. Now before some of you start bashing, take heart. Yes, it has quite the reputation for lasting for... well, quite awhile (thank the healthy dousing in spirits for that one, which gave it a nice long shelf life before the time of preserving). But it is such a classic holiday treat, one that originally had the token of a good-luck charm for spring harvests later, and actually can (and does!) taste rather good.

This is another goodie that I made before the holidays, and perhaps fitting that I'm posting it now, given the storied shelf-life of fruitcake. I didn't want to throw together just any old fruitcake this year, though. I wanted to make something a little bit exciting, you know? So enter this little gem, a recipe for Hawaiian fruitcake.

Chockful of shaved coconut and some new-to-fruitcake dried fruits (pineapple and cherries anyone?), this recipe gives a whole new life to the boring old fruitcake of the past. I omitted the rum when I made mine (knowing that I and another fellow pregnant chum of mine would be eating them), but feel free to let the rum flow with yours! It'll help it keep longer, ya know...

Hawaiian Fruitcake

(adapted from recipe by Audrey Langenhop, pastry arts instructor at YTI Career Institute, Lancaster, Penn.)

Ingredients:

Fruit mixture:

1½ c. golden raisins

1 c. unsweetened shaved coconut

1½ c. chopped dried pineapple

1 c. chopped dried apricots

1 c. candied lemon peel

2 c. dried tart cherries

¾ c. light or dark rum (if you prefer not to use alcohol you may substitute orange juice, as I did)

Cake Batter:

2 sticks softened butter (1 c.)

1¾ c. granulated sugar

¼ c. honey

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. cinnamon

¼ tsp. nutmeg

2 tsp. vanilla extract

5 eggs

3¾ c. all-purpose flour

1 c. whole milk
2 c. chopped macadamia nuts

Combine the fruits in a large bowl. Add the rum (or juice), cover, refrigerate, and allow to steep 6-24 hours.

Preheat the oven to 300 F. Grease and flour two 8½-by-4½-inch loaf pans.

Beat the butter, sugar and honey until well blended. Add the eggs one at a time. Sift together the flour, baking powder, spices and salt.

Carefully add one half of the sifted dry ingredients to the creamed butter mixture. Mix well. Add half the milk and continue to mix. Scrape the bowl. Repeat with the final half of the dry ingredients and milk, blending well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Stir in the undrained fruit mixture as well as the macadamia nuts.

Pour the batter into the two prepared pans, filling each ¾ full.

Place the pans into the preheated oven. Bake 50-60 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

Remove the cakes from the oven and immediately brush with additional rum (if desired). Allow the cakes to cool completely before removing them from the loaf pans. Wrap air tight and store for a minimum of 24 hours prior to serving.

This fruitcake may be brushed with rum weekly and stored at room temperature for four to six weeks. If you prefer, you may wrap the fruitcake and store it in the freezer for several months.

Roast Beef Soup

2009-01-07T05:43:00.005-06:00

Ah, the holidays. I didn't get to tell you very much about the holidays, did I? Well, as usual they were fantastic (and went by a bit too quickly, as they seem to do for everyone). The sous chef Mahni got an Easy Bake Oven from her aunt Nemmie, so our time together was well spent baking goodies.

This year because the holiday fell next to a weekend, we decided to do a whirlwind trip of Kansas, seeing my family south of us and then off to see Hubs' family west of that. Then back northeast to head home at the end of it all... By the time we finally made it home, we (as usual) found ourselves in possession of many edible goodies and leftovers. Among those, a huge hunk of leftover beef roast.

Well, thank goodness for that, because I was craving some soup. This soup is a fantastic way to use up that leftover roast, a steaming and filling bowl of soup that'll warm you up without packing on the pounds. I ate this at work for lunch for an entire week, and never tired of it. In fact, it seems to get better the longer it sits! Definintely something for you out there to try when you find yourself with some leftover beef roast :)

Roast Beef Soup

(adapted from Recipezaar)

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. butter + 1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, cut into large chunks
2 stalks celery, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced

2 c. sliced cremini mushrooms
1 1/2 lbs. leftover cooked beef, cubed
64 oz. beef broth ( I added a bit more, closer to 80 oz.)
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp. dried herbes de provence
8 oz. uncooked egg noodles (I used wheat noodles, to make it a wee bit more healthy-ish)

In a large pot, heat the butter and oil over medium heat, until butter is melted and pot is heated. Add the onions and celery, and saute until the onions and celery are softened (about 5-7 minutes). Add the garlic and saute for another 2-3 minutes. Add mushrooms, and cook until they are softened as well (about 5 minutes).

Stir in the chopped cooked beef to warm. Add the beef broth and the Worcestershire, stirring to mix, and seasoning to taste with salt and pepper and herbes de provence. Bring mixture to a boil, then stir in uncooked egg noodles.

Reduce heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10-12 minutes or until noodles are tender.

Cherry Almond Jello Cookies

2009-01-04T14:38:00.001-06:00

Okay, random thought but on second viewing perhaps I shouldn't have quite placed those cookies in that fashion on the plate. Looks a bit like I left two burlesque pasties for Santa, oopies. Heh.

So how late is this recap, yeah? Sadly I thought I had prepped a few more blog posts to go up around the holidays (when I was traveling all over this blessed little state). Thought. Apparently not. And then add my post-holiday chaos of trying to catch up on other parts of my life, and there you go. Just now posting my Santa cookies. Only a few weeks late isn't bad, right??

Now, in truth: I started this whole blog thing to keep myself busy. I love to bake/cook, I love to play with my camera, and I needed a low-budget yet highly-interesting hobby while I waited for us to finally buy a house and get a move on with this thing called life. So was born my blog.

Only: these days I have quite a bit on my plate. Work's been more hectic for the past several months, so I've been working long hours. I have a house to renovate, and Hubs and I are expecting our first child in the early summer, so there's plenty to plan around that as well :)

I kept up the good fight through most of the excitement of the past few months, posting loyally every other day, but the last couple of weeks have really walloped me. I couldn't even get the Daring Bakers Challenge finished. I have thought about just taking a hiatus from the blogging, or perhaps shutting the blog down altogether, but in truth? I've grown to love my little "hobby", and it's one of the things that has kept me sane for the past year and a half.

So I made a pact with myself, or actually a New Years Resolution: the blog stays, even if it is extra work. Only the posts might start coming every 3 days instead of every other day as I've kept up for the past year. A few posts a week are better than nothing, I figure. And I get to keep up with you lovely darlings :)

So there you go! Now on to the important part of this post, the cookies: the dough was super-simple, and very very cherry. My favorite, mmmm. I tried to make this work with my new cookie press, but had a bit of an issue - I just couldn't get it to press through, even after adding some water. So hrmph, but still they rolled out just fine. And tasted good, and that's all that matters really, in the end :)

Cherry Almond Jello Cookies

(adapted from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:

3 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 c. butter, at room temperature
1 c. granulated sugar
1 (3 oz.) pkg. cherry jello
1 egg
1 tsp. almond extract

Preheat oven to 400 F. Whisk together flour and baking powder in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Cream butter, sugar and gelatin. Add egg and almond extract. Beat well. Gradually add flour mixture. Blend until smooth.

If using a cookie press: use dough immediately. Press shapes onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment, and make for 7-10 minutes (until just slightly beginning to brown).

If rolling cookies: refrigerate dough until firm, about 2 hours. Roll into balls and press with bottom of glass with sugar on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 7-10 minutes (until just slightly beginning to brown).

Peanut Butter Fudge

2008-12-27T12:02:00.000-06:00

Now, I'm not a huge candy maker. But fudge is one of those things that I make every year, and even better than the yawn-worthy regular chocolate fudge is that fantastic stuff known as peanut butter fudge.

Creamy, very velvety and luscious. I've had issues in the past with peanut butter fudge recipes - they always seemed to turn out crumbly and grainy. Not this rich confection, though! It is going to be my new standard. The added benefit is that the recipe makes A TON - I halved it, and still had lots to give out to family and friends. Awesome :)

Peanut Butter Fudge

(from Jan's Sushi Bar)

Ingredients:

2 1/2 c. sugar

1/2 stick butter

1/4 c. light corn syrup

1/2 can evaporated milk

20 oz. peanut butter

2 healthy Tbsp. marshmallow cream

Butter a 9 x 9 inch pan well and set aside.

Mix the sugar, butter, evaporated milk and corn syrup in a large, heavy pot over medium heat and bring to a boil. Cook without stirring until the mixture reaches softball stage (235 F - 240 F).

Remove from heat and quickly stir in the peanut butter and marshmallow cream; beat well with a large wooden spoon and pour into the buttered pan.

Cool at room temperature until set and cut into squares.

Aunt Syl's Pecan Sandies

2008-12-24T12:09:00.009-06:00

I yanked this recipe out of one of my Penzey's catalog, oh - maybe 5 winters ago? Like, seriously one of my holiday favorites. I'm lucky if the cookies survive from baking day to the holidays a few days later (I have no self control with these things).

They are so easy to throw together. And yeah, lots of butter but other than that seem fairly heavy for holiday cookies - not much sugar, no eggs (which makes eating the dough guilt-free!). I adore the crumbly texture and buttery pecan flavor. With chocolate chips to boot, mmm. These suckers are perfect.

Aunt Syl's Pecan Sandies

(from Penzey's)

Ingredients:

1 3/4 c. flour, sifted

1 c. pecans, chopped small

6 oz. chocolate chips or chopped chocolate (semi-sweet or bittersweet)

3/4 c. butter

1/3 c. powdered sugar, sifted

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tsp. cold water

1/4 c. powdered sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 325 F. Mix flour, nuts, and chocolate chips, and set aside.

In a separate bowl, cream butter, add sugar gradually and cream until fluffy. Add vanilla extract and water and mix. Gradually add flour mixture and blend well.

Mold dough into balls, using 1 tsp. dough for each ball. Don’t worry if the dough is crumbly–add 1 extra tablespoon of water if you have a hard time making a ball.

Bake on ungreased baking sheets for about 23 minutes. While cookies are warm, sprinkle with powdered sugar (or give them a good roll in it, like I did). Store in an airtight container.

Chocolate Cut-Out Cookies

2008-12-21T17:32:00.000-06:00

Pretty stained glass cookies! After getting the low down from Leslie (personal chef extraordinaire) about these cookie cutters at Williams Sonoma, I couldn't resist. Too cute! And there's a million different ways to use them, with shortbreads or maybe as linzer cookie cutters and for gingerbread or sugar cookies... They are a PITA to clean, though, just FYI if you purchase them yourself...

These chocolate cut-out cookies are great - they only spread slightly, have a wonderful deep chocolate flavor, and are nice and soft. If you want to make stained glass cookies like I did, just crush some Lifesaver or other colored hard candies, and fill the gaps in your cut shapes with the crushed candy. They will melt nicely while your cookies bake up.

Thanks again Leslie! :)

Chocolate Cut-Out Cookies

(adapted from AllRecipes.com)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt

½ tsp. cinnamon
3/4 c. butter, softened
1 1/4 c. granulated sugar

1 egg + 1 yolk
1 tsp. vanilla

Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; set aside. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg. Gradually stir in the sifted ingredients to form a soft dough. Divide dough into 2 pieces, flatten and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 375 F . On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4-inch in thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Dough is sticky so be sure to add more flour to the rolling surface as needed. Place cookies 1 1/2 inches apart onto cookie sheets.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven (mine were more on the 7-8 minute range, to keep them soft). Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Ambrosia Macaroons

2008-12-15T05:49:00.005-06:00

Recently I had a few long-ish flights to a 4-day business meeting that I was attending. I did my usual, stocked up on a few magazines and grabbed a book. This time, I picked up Twilight, because I was hearing about this "Twilight Phenomenon" and how it was "the New 'Harry Potter' for our time" from practically everyplace I went. It was on sale for like 3 bucks, so why not.

So have you read this yet? If you haven't well, let's just say it was a teenage love story about vampires who are sparkly in the sunlight, and leave it at that. The author's writing wasn't the best, and some parts made me crack up where I was probably supposed to sigh over the passion of it all. It is humorous and entertaining in a campy way but I also must say I am slightly embarrassed that I ever picked it up from the Bargain Bin. Jeez, you guys are supposed to warn me about this stuff. To top it off, people kept seeing me with the book on my flights and interrupting me to discuss about the darn thing. They were all "Ooo, Twilight! How-do-you-like-it-what-part-are-you-at-are-you-going-to-see-the-movie??" and I wanted to be like PLEASE LADY JUST LAY OFF I CAN'T GET PAST THIS PART WHERE THEY ARE PLAYING VAMPIRE BASEBALL. (* And yes, they play vampire baseball. With fancy special uniforms and everything! Yeah, it was insanely awesome.)

In the author's defense, so I don't come across as "that jaded mean a-hole Nemmie", I will say that I guess I can see why some of the kids like this book (it is Young Adult fiction, after all). I am just a bit too old and un-romantical for all of that stuff. And I'm not a Mormon. So carry on, little romantics out there. Enjoy your vampire love in all its glittering glory.

So anyway, that story really has nothing to do with these macaroons. However I did get the latest Bon Appetit magazine to get me through the trip as well, and I loved it much much more than the sparkly vampire book. As per usual for the holiday issues of food magazines, there was lots I want to make in that issue, and the first I decided to give a shot was Ambrosia Macaroons. I am not a huge lover of coconut but I do enjoy a nice macaroon, plus the whole "Southern ambrosia style" was kinda cute to me. These guys are totally yummy, too - lots of orange flavor, and the bittersweet chocolate is just right for off-setting the sweetness of the macaroon. Yum! Oh, and easy. Did I mention the easy? They totally are. So give them a shot.

Ambrosia Macaroons

(from Bon Appetit magazine, December 2008)

Ingredients:
1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 c. sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
2 tsp. finely grated orange peel
3 large eggs
24 oz. sweetened flaked coconut (about 6 c. firmly packed)
6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted

Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 325 F. Line 3 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment.

Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until smooth. Add sugar and salt; beat until blended. Beat in orange peel, then eggs, 1 at a time. Mix in coconut. Drop batter onto sheets by tablespoonfuls, spacing 1 1/2 inches apart.

Bake macaroons, 1 sheet at a time, until golden on bottom and browned in spots, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely on sheets.

Using fork, drizzle chocolate over macaroons. Chill on sheets until chocolate is firm, about 30 minutes.

Blackberry Breakfast Bars

2008-12-13T09:59:00.005-06:00

Mmmm. These are good. I could eat them for breakfast every day of my life.

I can see why these might be considered more of a "breakfast bar" than "dessert/coffee bar". There's the oats, for one, and these bars are pretty darn crunchy/crumbly (more like a granola bar). Plus, not as sugary as your usual after-dinner treat. But oh, they are tart and still a tad sweet and absolutely fantastic with your morning coffee/tea/giant glass of milk. And have that faint whiff of "healthy breakfast eats", so I am definitely sold :)

Blackberry Breakfast Bars

(adapted from SmittenKitten)

Ingredients:
For the crust and crumb:

1 1/2 cu.all-purpose flour

1 c. firmly packed dark brown sugar

1 1/4 c. rolled oats

3/4 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

3/4 c. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces

For the blackberry filling:

1/4 c. firmly packed dark brown sugar

1 Tbsp. grated lemon zest

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

2 tsp. all-purpose flour

1 lb. blackberries, fresh or frozen (thaw frozen in the fridge before using)

1/4 c. fresh lemon juice

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Make the crust and crumb: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch glass or light-colored metal baking pan. Put a long piece of parchment paper in the bottom of the pan, letting the parchment extend up the two short sides of the pan and overhang slightly on both ends. Butter the parchment.

Put the flour, brown sugar, oats, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon in a food processor. Pulse in short bursts until combined. Add the butter and pulse until loose crumbs form.

Reserve 1 1/2 cup of the mixture and set aside. Pour the rest of the mixture into the prepared pan and use your hans or the back of a large wooden spoon to push the crust into an even layer at the bottom of the pan. The crust should touch the sides of the pan. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let the crust cool. Keep the oven on while you make the blackberry filling.

Make the blackberry filling: In a medium bowl, whisk the sugar, lemon zest, cinnamon and flour together. Add the blackberries, lemon juice and butter and use your hands to toss gently until the blackberries are evenly coated.

Assemble and bake the bars: Spread the blackberry filling evenly on top of the cooled crust. Sprinkle the reserved crust mixture evenly on top of the filling.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, rotating the pan every 15 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the filling starts to bubble around the edges.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, then cut into squares and serve. The bars can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 2 days (she lies: mine were still yummy after 4 days. So there; just be sure to keep them refrigerated).

Sugar Cookies

2008-12-10T20:42:00.003-06:00

There is a photo somewhere floating around in a photo box in my house (and for the life of me I can't find it, or else I would have scanned it and included it here). It is a picture from an office holiday party, back in my college days. There is a lone subject in the picture, a sweet college-aged girl with her unruly curly hair in a loose ponytail, sitting in a recliner. She's wearing a festive sweater with reindeer on it, and there is a large Tupperware tub full of sugar cookies perched on her lap. She has a huge smile on her face, she's actually laughing to be honest, in fact her face is kinda red from laughing so hard. She's looking at someone off to the side, waving a pretty, perfect, frosted (and be-sprinkled) sugar cookie in her hand.

Now let me tell you the story behind that picture: this was my darling coworker, who had just spent 15 minutes in front of an audience of all our other coworkers, trying everything in her power to break one of the (Nemmie-made) super-Teflon sugar cookies.

Yes, to somehow get a piece or chunk or heck, even a crumb to fall off one of those cookies. You see, the cookies were sure pretty and kept their shape and decorated like a dream, but ah... Were not edible. At all. And this poor girl spent all night trying to get a piece off of just one cookie. My cookies that year, they were the talk of the party let me tell you. Not in a good way. I was totally a sucky baker in college.

Since that time, I have much matured (in many ways). Thankfully, I have also found a much better sugar cookie recipe. I have tried many, believe me: you know how a lot of recipes are either pretty when decorated but too hard/tasteless to enjoy eating? Or on the flip side: taste good, but the shapes spread while baking and you're stuck with 48 undecipherable blobs? Well, this is truly the best sugar cookie recipe I've ever used: they never spread. They taste yummy (it's the citrus, methinks). And they aren't rock hard, the biggest factor of all for me. Total win!

Sugar Cookies

(from Williams Sonoma)

Ingredients:

1/2 c. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 c. granulated sugar
2 tsp. grated lemon zest (don't like zest? Try 2 tsp. vanilla paste)
1 large egg
1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
Royal icing for decorating

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a food processor, combine the butter, granulated sugar, and zest and pulse until creamy. Add the egg and pulse 5 or 6 times until fluffy and blended. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add one-third of the flour mixture to the food processor and process until blended, about 45 seconds. Add the remaining flour in two batches, processing after each addition until the dough is smooth.

Turn the dough out onto a well-floured work surface, shape into a ball, and then roll out 1/8-inch thick (you can also chill the dough for about half an hour if you'd like, it helps in rolling out the dough). Using cookie cutters, cut the dough into desired shapes. Then, using a spatula, transfer the cutouts to the baking sheets. Gather up the dough scraps, form into a ball, roll out and cut more shapes, and add to the baking sheets.

Bake until lightly browned on the bottom and pale golden on top, 6-8 minutes. Transfer to wire racks and allow to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to the racks alone to cool completely.

Decorate the cooled cookies with royal icing, chocolate ganache, sprinkles, etc. etc. etc.

Toffee-Topped Fudge Brownie Tarts

2008-12-08T05:21:00.001-06:00

Pictures are a bit craptastic, I know - sorry. I took them at 7am in the dusky light of my kitchen, while trying to desperately pack up treats and head out for Thanksgiving. Um, yeah, and this recipe is a few weeks old too. We need to get past that...

Anyhoo: every Thanksgiving I try to bring a treat or two. This year I tackled Luella's Date Pudding (which I won't post, sorry: Hub's relatives might come hunt me down for posting a beloved family recipe). I wanted to bring something else, although the pies were covered. Then I remembered I had bought a cookie magazine a few weeks ago (while waiting in line at the grocery store), and thought I might as well put it to good use. I flipped through and found a recipe with pretty photos that was fairly simple, and than away I went.

These little toffee bites seemed to go over pretty well - Hub's uncle even hid a few away in his cabinet for later. Proof positive that they were Pretty Darn Good. Nice and fudgey, for sure, with a ganache frosting and dotted with toffee. Mmm. While nowhere near as good as Date Pudding or Hub's aunt's cherry pie, it's still certainly a great recipe for those non-Thanksgiving days in your life :)

Toffee-Topped Fudge Brownie Tarts

(from Better Homes and Gardens Magazine: Christmas Cookies, 2008)

Ingredients:

3 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1/3 c. butter

1 c. granulated sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1/4 c. whipping cream

1/2 c. bittersweet chocolate (chopped)

English toffee, chopped (I just used that pre-chopped Heath Bar topping stuff)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease twenty-four mini muffin cups and set aside.

In a medium heavy saucepan, combine unsweetened chocolate and butter. Cook and stir over low heat until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Add sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Beat lightly with a wooden spoon just until combined. Stir in flour. Spoon a generous 1 tablespoon of the batter in each prepared muffin cup.

Bake in a preheated oven for 12 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove brownies from muffin cups and place on wire rack; let cool.

For glaze: In a small saucepan, heat whipping cream over low heat just until it simmers; remove from heat. Add chocolate pieces, stirring until melted. Place chopping toffee in a shallow dish. Dip top of each brownie into glaze, then sprinkle with toffee bits. Return to wire rack and allow glaze to set. Makes 24 tarts.

To store: Place brownies in a single layer in an airtight container; cover. Store in a refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Sweet Potato Ice Cream

2008-12-06T08:37:00.002-06:00

I would like to start this off with the following disclaimer: I did not eat this. Even a slight whiff of sweet potatoes makes me want to fall over dead, sadly. Thankfully dear Hubs loves sweet potatoes, and was more than happy to be the guinea pig.

He would like for you to know that the texture was a bit 'chunkier' than regular custard-based ice creams (sing it brother, I could see that from eye-balling the stuff from 6 feet away). But, he really didn't think that was a bad thing. He also said it tasted very much like pumpkin pie, if you added sweet pecans and marshmallows. Or maybe more like candied yams. Or something.

At any rate: he's been dipping into the quart in the freezer all week, so I would guess it is in the "yummy" category. You'll have to give it a try and let me know what you think as well...

Sweet Potato Ice Cream

(Adapted from The Perfect Scoop, 2007)

Ingredients:

1 lb. sweet potatoes, peeled and diced to 1-in. cubes

1 c. + 2 Tbsp. whole milk

2/3 c. packed light brown sugar

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

Few drops of lemon juice

Wet pecans (recipe follows)

1/2 c. (or so) mini marshmallows

Place the sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for about 20 minutes (until cubes are tender). Drain and set aside to cool to room temperature.

Pour the milk into a blender and add the brown sugar, sweet potatoes, cinnamon, vanilla, a pinch of salt, and squeeze of lemon juice. Puree until very smooth, at least 30 seconds. Press the mixture through a mesh strainer using a rubber spatula.

Chill the mixture thorougly in the refrigerator (overnight is best), then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to directions. In the last few minutes of churning, add the wet pecans and mini marshmallows.

Wet Pecans

2 c. pecans, roughly chopped

3/4 c. real maple syrup

Big pinch salt

Heat the syrup in a medium saucepan until it comes to a full boil. Stir in the nuts, and cook until the mixture comes to a full boil once again. Toss in a big pinch of salt. Cook while stirring for 10 seconds, then remove from the heat and cool completely. The nuts will be sticky (and wet) when cooled.

PS: See ya in 6 months, Robot.

Cinnamon Roll Cookies

2008-12-04T05:35:00.000-06:00

Uh ohs! Almost forgot that today was a posting day... Well, let's see. I have some brownie bites to post, and ice cream, and soup... But I'm still on a cookie kick, at least for now, so that's what you're getting.

I picked up this recipe from Pea's site, yet again. I am like a stalker, no? But these were worth it. I love the little cinnamon roll shape! Plus, the kitchen will totally smell like (yeast-free) cinnamon rolls while baking. And they have the cinnamony, buttery taste down pat. Very glad to find this one floating out in the Interwebs. All I did was add a little zest into the mix, and they were pretty much like my favorite cinnamon roll recipe, just in cookie form :)

Cinnamon Roll Cookies

(from Pea)

Ingredients:
½ c. sugar

2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon

3 c. all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

½ tsp. salt

1 c. unsalted butter, at room temperature

Zest of 1 lemon, or 1/2 an orange

1 c. brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 c. powdered sugar

¼ c. warm water

½ tsp. powdered egg whites

For the filling combine sugar and 2 TBSP cinnamon in a small bowl, set aside.

Whisk flour, baking powder, 1 tsp cinnamon, and salt together for the dough in a bowl; set aside.

Cream butter, zest, and brown sugar in a bowl with a mixer until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla; mix until incorporated. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients, blending just to incorporate; do not over mix.

Trace a 16-x-9-inch rectangle on a sheet of parchment or wax paper. Pat the dough into the rectangle using your hands, then sprinkle half the cinnamon mixture over the dough.

Beginning on a long side and using the paper to help you, roll the dough into a log. Dust the outside of the log with the remaining cinnamon mixture (I forgot to do this). Wrap log in plastic and chill for at least 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 F; line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Slice chilled dough into 1/4-inch thick slices and arrange on prepared baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack.

Combine icing ingredients in a bowl. Drizzle icing over cooled cookies, let stand at room temperature.

Buttery Jam Cookies

2008-12-01T06:34:00.000-06:00

Try-Outs for Christmas Cookies! The time is yet again here! And this one's a beaut...

First let me just say: I beat you, Tuesdays with Dorie people! Ha! TAKE THAT!! Everybody is gonna see my fabulous cookies before you can post them all over the blogosphere and back in a few weeks! SO. THERE.

Er, um. Here's some buttery jam cookies. They are tres delicious, at first sweet and buttery, and then you are whacked with chewy bits of tart jam. Mmmmmmm. While simple and not much to look at, I truly think these are my new favorite cookies. An added plus is that they are teeny, so you can stuff at least 3 or 4 of these suckers in your mouth before you start to feel guilty...

Buttery Jam Cookies

(from Dorie's Baking: From My Home To Yours, 2006)

Ingredients:
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
8 Tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 c. sugar
1 large egg
2 Tbsp. whole milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 c. jam of choice (Dorie recommends apricot; I used cherry)
Confectioners sugar for dusting (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and place two racks in the oven, one in the upper third of the oven and one in the lower third of the oven. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar (on high speed) for 2 to 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat on high speed for an additional minute. Add the milk and the vanilla extract and beat on high speed for 30 seconds. Add the jam and beat on low speed for 1 minute.

Add the dry ingredients, with the mixer on low speed, just until they're mixed in. The dough will be extremely thick and stiff.
With a an ice cream scoop our a teaspoon, drop spoonfuls of the dough onto baking sheets, forming cookies that are about 1 inch to 1-1/2 inches in size (I used a piping bag, with my largest tip).

Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, rotating the trays from top rack to bottom rack halfway through. Once baked, let the cookies sit on the pan for a minute or two and then remove to a wire rack and let cool completely. Dust with confectioner's sugar, if desired.

Caramel Cake with Caramelized Butter Frosting

2008-11-29T09:53:00.001-06:00

The plan was to get this post written and up first thing this morning. I had a glorious day planned, too: big coffee and blog writing, then decorate the house, watch the KU/MU game on TV, veg out, call the family. Instead I was awakened at 7am to a soft snowfall outside my bedroom window and the pitter-patter of. . . water dripping from our living room ceiling, splattering all over our beautiful dark hardwood floor. Lovely, just lovely.

Anyway, so I'm up and have done *quite a bit* already this morning but wanted to get this post done and over with, before I got wrapped up in all that other garbage I'll be dealing with all day.

I made mini cakes (from ramekins). I also thirded the recipe. I had read from other Daring Bakers that this cake was sweet sweet sweet, so I knew there was no way we would ever polish off more than a slice apiece. And yes, that is absolutely true. I won't be recreating the frosting anytime soon, that's where most of the sickeningly sweet flavor came from. The cake itself, though, was one of the best cakes I have ever made - incredibly soft crumb, like the kind you find in fancy wedding cakes and the like. With just a lightly sweet flavor of caramel. Oh, yes, the cake was very, very good.

We were also given the option to make caramels, but I've decided to tackle and blog that recipe another time. It got rave reviews from my fellow Daring Baker foodies. Thanks to Dolores, Alex (Brownie), and Jenny for hosting this month! And as always: check out those other Daring Bakers' creations this month.

Caramel Cake with Caramelized Butter Frosting

(from Shuna Fish Lydon)

Ingredients:

10 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/4 c. granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/3 c. Caramel Syrup (see recipe below)

2 eggs, at room temperature

Splash vanilla extract

2 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 c. milk, at room temperature

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter one tall (2 – 2.5 inch deep) 9-inch cake pan.In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth. Add sugar and salt & cream until light and fluffy.

Slowly pour room temperature caramel syrup into bowl. Scrape down bowl and increase speed. Add eggs/vanilla extract a little at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down bowl again, beat mixture until light and uniform.

Sift flour and baking powder. Turn mixer to lowest speed, and add one third of the dry ingredients. When incorporated, add half of the milk, a little at a time. Add another third of the dry ingredients, then the other half of the milk and finish with the dry ingredients. {This is called the dry, wet, dry, wet, dry method in cake making. It is often employed when there is a high proportion of liquid in the batter.}

Take off mixer and by hand, use a spatula to do a few last folds, making sure batter is uniform. Turn batter into prepared cake pan.

Place cake pan on cookie sheet or 1/2 sheet pan. Set first timer for 30 minutes, rotate pan and set timer for another 15-20 minutes. Your own oven will set the pace. Bake until sides pull away from the pan and skewer inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool cake completely before icing it. Cake will keep for three days outside of the refrigerator.

Caramel Syrup

2 c. sugar

1/2 c. water

1 c. water (for "stopping" the caramelization process)

In a small stainless steel saucepan, with tall sides, mix water and sugar until mixture feels like wet sand. Brush down any stray sugar crystals with wet pastry brush. Turn on heat to highest flame. Cook until smoking slightly: dark amber.

When color is achieved, very carefully pour in one cup of water. Caramel will jump and sputter about! It is very dangerous, so have long sleeves on and be prepared to step back.

Whisk over medium heat until it has reduced slightly and feels sticky between two fingers. {Obviously wait for it to cool on a spoon before touching it.}

Note: For safety reasons, have ready a bowl of ice water to plunge your hands into if any caramel should land on your skin.

Caramelized Butter Frosting

12 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1 lb. confectioner’s sugar, sifted

4-6 Tbsp. heavy cream

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2-4 Tbsp. caramel syrup

Kosher or sea salt to taste

Cook butter until brown. Pour through a fine meshed sieve into a heatproof bowl, set aside to cool.Pour cooled brown butter into mixer bowl.

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, add confectioner's sugar a little at a time. When mixture looks too chunky to take any more, add a bit of cream and or caramel syrup. Repeat until mixture looks smooth and all confectioner's sugar has been incorporated. Add salt to taste.

(recipes above courtesy of Shuna Fish Lydon)

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T13:23:00.000-06:00

Hope all you readers are much too busy stuffing yourself with turkey et al. to be checking blogs today :) I just wanted to wish a Happy and Wonderful Thanksgiving to each and every one of you! Will be back first thing Saturday morning.

And now: Sous Chef Mahni would like to show the many ways she would make a lovely new (Peep) mascot for the blog:

1. Well, she's cuter in the get up. Obviously. And great for photo ops. People just gravitate to that little charmer, Peep Mahni.

2. She can run. Really really fast. While still in character.

3. That said, she's got a killer profile. And when necessary, she can hold just as still as any marshmallow Peep.

4. She's great with kids, absolutely a requirement for my child-friendly blog.

5. Her bravey and love of adventure knows no bounds. And also she's really bendy (not evidenced in the photo).

6. Last but not least, she is much more soft and cuddly than those dried-up sugar Peeps that Aunt Nemmie carries around with her.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

2008-11-26T05:05:00.000-06:00

Did you know that Dean & DeLuca are selling these puppies for $55 a dozen? I could make a killing! Because they are so easy to make, seriously. And fun to assemble too.

The flavor is out of this world - Hubs took them to his office "Thanksgiving Potluck", and there were several requests for the recipe. They are sweet, spicy, deeply pumkin, and full of a soft, creamy cinnamon filling. Mmmmm. Take it from Peabody, who said she couldn't stop eating them (and she's one to give all her treats away) - these are well worth making.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

(found at Pea's site, from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking, 2008)

Ingredients:

3 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

2 Tbsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. ground fresh nutmeg

1 c. granulated sugar

1 c. dark brown sugar, firmly packed

1 c. canola oil

3 c. chilled pumpkin puree

2 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3 c. powdered sugar

1/2 c. unsalted butter, at room temperature

8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature

1 Tbsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare to baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and spices. Set aside.In a separate bowl, whisk to sugars and oil together. Add the pumpkin puree and whisk to combine thoroughly. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until combined.

Sprinkle the flour mixture over the pumpkin mixture and whisk until completely combined.Use a small ice cream scoop with a release mechanism to drop healing TBSP of the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cookie comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool completely on the pan while you make the filling. They will look more like mini cakes then cookies, so don’t panic about that.

For the filling: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth with no visible lumps. Add the cream cheese an beat until combined.Add the powdered sugar, maple syrup and vanilla and beat until smooth. Be careful no to overbeat the filling, or it will lose structure.

To assemble: Turn half the cooled cookies upside down. Pipe filling (about a TBSP) onto that half. Place another cookie, flat side down, on top of the filling. Press down slightly so that the filling spread to the edges of the cookie. Repeat until all the cookies are used. Put the whoppie pies in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to firm before serving.

Lean N' Green Chili

2008-11-23T09:57:00.000-06:00

Sorry lovelies! I was out of town on business and then had... well, baking issues when I returned, so I'm a bit behind on posting. But! Plenty will be posted in the coming weeks, promise. After all, there is much holiday baking to be done :)

Another goodie from my last Cooking Club - this time we're giving Stacey's recipe a whirl. Check out her blog: it is sweet treat after yummy sweet treat after another, and yet the girl maybe weighs as much as one of my thighs. So I can only imagine that her actual meals are a bit more on the healthy side...

Not only healthy, my friends, but YUMMY. Just what I want in this kinda chili - thick, spicy, and filling. And only about 250 calories per serving, wahoo! Now I can have extra pie later in the week!!

Lean N' Green Chili

(from Stacey)

Ingredients:

8 6-in. corn tortillas, divided

2 tsp. vegetable oil, dived

1 c. chopped Poblano Chile peppers (or green bell peppers)

1/2 c. chopped onion

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into ¾-in. pieces

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 garlic clove, pressed

2 cans (14.5 oz.) 99% fat free chicken broth

2 cans (15 oz.) pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 1/4 c. salsa verde (or 1 can green Chile enchilada sauce)

3-4 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Preheat oven to 400 F. Cut four of the tortillas in half and stack them one on top of another. Cut the tortillas into ½ inch strips. Place in bowl and toss with 1 tsp of the oil. Spread in a single layer in a baking pan. Bake 10 – 12 min or until crisp, stirring once. Remove from oven.

Chop Chile peppers and onion. Cut chicken into ¾ inch pieces; toss with cumin in small bowl. Fold one tortilla to fit into a food processor coarsely grate. Repeat with remaining 3 tortillas. Set aside.

Heat remaining 1 tsp oil in large pot over medium heat. Add chicken; cook and stir 5 min. Remove chicken from casserole; and Chile peppers, onion, and garlic. Cook and stir 3 min. Stir in chicken, broth, beans, salsa and grated tortillas. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 15 min.

Stir cilantro into chili. Ladle soup into bowls; top with baked tortilla strips.

Dimply Plum Cake

2008-11-17T20:17:00.003-06:00

I have seen the dimply plum cake being made all over the Interwebs, and just based on how adorable it is I decided to dive in and make it myself. I had a coworker's birthday to bake for anyway. Only it didn't photograph too well for me, I had a slight issue...

One giant thing to note: this recipe doesn't double especially well. At least, it doesn't look as beautiful when you double it... The cooking time is much longer, so those poor plums sank into my cake rather than sit pretty on top. No worries though - still tasted like a dream! Like a deep brown sugar coffee cake, with juicy halves of fruit inside. Mmmm. This one went over quite well at the office, ugly appearance aside :)

Dimply Plum Cake

(shocker: another one from Dorie's Baking: From My Home to Yours, 2006)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. all purpose four

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground cardamom

5 Tbsp. unsalted butter

3/4 c. packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1/3 c. canola oil

Grated zest of 1 lemon

1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

8 purple or red plums, halved and pitted

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter an 8x8 baking dish or a glass pie plate and set aside.

Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and ground cardamom.

In a stand mixer, cream the butter with the brown sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the oil, lemon zest and vanilla. Reduce the speed and add the flour mixture. Pour the batter in the prepared dish, smooth the top and arrange the plums on top, cut side up.

Bake for about 40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Potato Soup

2008-11-15T05:54:00.001-06:00

As you know by now if you make the rounds of my happy little group of Realie food bloggers, our November Cooking Club was all about Soups. Soups! I love love love a good soup or stew, so I was so excited for this one. It didn’t disappoint either – I loved every one of them, and plan to recreate every one we had.

First up was Audrey’s potato soup (she of Kentiga Blog fame). I think because it reminded me of my mom’s potato soup, with big chunks of potatoes, lots of other veggies, and a nice broth (not super-thick like so many other potato soups out there). So I made a giant pot, and have been eating that for lunch for a week now. Still super yummy! I think I’ll probably be making this many more times in the future.

Potato Soup
(adapted a small bit from Audrey’s recipe)

Ingredients:
4 Tbsp. butter
1 onion diced
1/2 lb of carrots sliced4 stalks of celery sliced
5 lbs. potatoes diced

10 c. low sodium chicken broth

1/2 lb. bacon

1/2 lb. Velveeta diced into chunks

1 c. sour cream

Salt and pepper

Melt butter over medium heat in a deep soup pot. Add onion, carrots, and celery and sauté until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the broth and potatoes to the pot and simmer. Add water if necessary to cover completely. Let simmer for 30-40 minutes or until completely cooked.

While mixture is simmering - cook, chop, and add bacon to soup. About 25-35 minutes into simmering add Velveeta and sour cream. Stir constantly until completely melted. Salt and pepper to taste.

Supernatural Brownies

2008-11-12T05:51:00.002-06:00

The other day I was asked to make brownies for work. Usually not an issue, and people know to come to me anyway, because I am more than happy to bake for our office. One problem: I had Cooking Club that evening, so only had 60-90 minutes between work and driving to KC to make those suckers. I polled some friends and had many good recipes sent my way; I picked my way through them (hard to do, I mean hello they are BROWNIE recipes) and finally found one where I was certain I had all the ingredients at home.

I got home, congratulating myself for saving a trip to the grocery store. Then, I realized I was completely out of cocoa powder. &%*$#!! How in the world does that even happen?? That meant a quick search online to find something else to make, something that was fairly easy and quick but with good reviews. And so I found the Supernatural Brownies recipe.

I made the brownies with 10 minutes to spare even, and was super surprised when I took them to work the next day: these were a hit. I mean, they were a major hit. I got at least 6 requests for the recipe, people were stopping by my desk all day to talk about “those amazing brownies”. Even the ladies on diets went for a 2nd brownie before the day was over. Huh! I thought they were good myself, although not Great (then again, I only like my brownies dense and super chewy). These were fudgy, rich, definitely your classic brownie. I think it’s the bittersweet chocolate that got everybody excited… I am curious if anyone tries these brownies themselves, leave a comment and let me know if you also think they are the Best Brownies Ever Made.

Supernatural Brownies
(adapted from Chocolate: From Simple Cookies to Extravagant Showstoppers, 1998)

Ingredients:
2 sticks (16 Tbsp.) butter, more for pan and parchment paper

8 oz. bittersweet chocolate

4 eggs

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. dark brown sugar

1 c. granulated sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 c. flour

1 c. bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Butter a 9 X 13-inch baking pan and line with buttered parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350 F.

In top of a double boiler set over barely simmering water, or on low power in a microwave, melt butter and chocolate together. Cool slightly.

In a large bowl or mixer, whisk eggs. Whisk in salt, sugars and vanilla. Whisk in chocolate mixture. Fold in flour and chocolate just until combined.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until shiny and beginning to crack on top (note: mine took more like 45-50 minutes to cook, so keep an eye on them). Cool in pan on rack.

Yield: 15 large or 24 small brownies. Note: For best flavor, bake 1 day before serving, let cool and store, tightly wrapped.

Cinnamon Pecan Pancakes

2008-11-10T18:12:00.001-06:00

First thing: I want to thank Stacey of Simply Tasty for presenting me with the Kreativ Blogger award! You gotta check out her blog, people. That girl doesn't mess around, it is mouthwatering Treats Treats Treats all the time over there.

And I'm passing it along too, to my favorite KC photography girls:

Audrey @ Kentiga Blog
Sarah @ Jagged Diary

Now, about those pancakes...

A few weekends ago, I was lucky enough to have a day all to myself (Hubs was out entertaining friends all day, and I punked out on him). Not like the man is a time hog, but when he happens to be at home I tend to put off certain tasks. So this day was a nice one to have. I wrote blog posts (that’s another problem, I love the man but HE HOGS THE COMPUTER ON THE WEEKENDS). I baked and fiddled around with some of my little projects, watched Lifetime movies in peace while I munched on fresh baked goods, called people I hadn’t talked to in awhile…

Most importantly, I did a lot of shopping. I rarely do that “spend a day bumming around shopping” without friends or family, so it was kinda nice to just go out and do on my own. Anyway, long story short: while at Target, I spied some dried pancake mix called “Cinnamon Roll Pancakes”. Yummy! Sounds fantastic, right? I wanted to make them but am kinda anti-boxed food (plus, it was pricey for pancake mix). So I read the box verrry carefully, and did my best to reproduce the pancakes from scratch the next morning. I think I did a fairly good job, if I do say so myself…

These pancakes are so so good – the cinnamon and pecans are a great flavor combo. The “strudel topping” is a smart call to sprinkle on the baking pancakes – yummy little crispy sugared chunks really add a lot to regular old pancakes. Give this recipe a try when you’re looking for something different to do with those morning pancakes.

Cinnamon Pecan Pancakes
(adapted from The Fannie Farmer Cookbook)

Ingredients:
1/2 to 3/4 c. buttermilk
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. pecan pieces

For strudel topping:
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Beat the buttermilk, butter, vanilla, and egg lightly in a mixing bowl (start with 1/2 c. buttermilk, and add more as you’d like to get desired thickness. I like my batter on the thin side, the pancakes seem to puff better that way). Mix the flour, baking soda, sugar, cinnamon, and salt and add them all at once to the first mixture, stirring just enough to moisten the flour. Stir in pecan pieces.

In a separate bowl: combine the butter, sugar, flour, and cinnamon with a fork (to form crumbles). Set aside.

Lightly butter or grease a griddle or frying pan and set over moderate heat until a few drops of cold water sprinkled on the pan form skittering globules. Pour about 1/4 cup per pancake on the griddle; bake until the cakes are very bubbly on top and the undersides are lightly browned. Sprinkle a few tablespoons of the “strudel” topping over pancake, and flip.

Turn with a spatula and brown the other side. Place finished cakes on a heated plate in a very slow (200 F) oven until ready to serve. Serve with butter, syrup, and a generous sprinkling of pecans.

Laugen Brotchen

2008-11-06T05:34:00.002-06:00

Yum! I love a good pretzel roll - salty, chewy, and that distinctively pretzel-y taste (kinda sweet yeah, and a bit doughy and Something Else that just can't be described). And yet, only with a pretzel roll you can eat alone with a nice spicy mustard OR you can use it for sandwiches. Brilliant!

This takes me back to when my parents always used to make pretzels at home, although they went the more "traditional" route and boiled the dough in a lye bath. I used baking soda, because I'm a wimp (and a klutz, so someone would have lost an eye if I'd done the traditional thing). They were still very good! If you haven't made homemade pretzels (or pretzel rolls) before, you are truly missing out. Quite the treat.

Laugen Brotchen (Pretzel Rolls)

(from RecipeZaar)

Ingredients:

1 1/3 c. warm water
2 Tbsp. warm milk
2 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
1/3 c. light brown sugar
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
4 c. all-purpose flour
Kosher salt or pretzel salt
2 qt. cold water
1/2 c. baking soda

In the bowl of your stand mixer, mix 1/3 cup of the warm (105-115 F) water with the yeast and let stand until foamy. Add the remaining cup of warm water, the warm milk, melted butter, and brown sugar and mix to dissolve the sugar.

Attach your dough hook to your stand mixer, and slowly add the 4 cups of flour until combined. Continue using your dough hook to mix the dough until it forms a nice, firm dough that pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for 2 minutes. Roll into a 2-foot long log and cut into 12 even pieces. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and a damp cloth and let sit for 30 minutes.

Pat dough into rolls, or form pretzel knows and arrange on a lightly floured surface, about an inch apart, and cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap. Let the dough rest for an additional 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Lightly oil 2 baking sheets.

In a large stockpot, bring the cold water to a rolling boil and add the baking soda. Drop the rolls -- one or two at a time -- into the boiling water and boil for no more than 30 seconds, turning them over once. Carefully remove with tongs, spatula, or slotted spoon and hold above the pot to let drain.

Deposit boiled rolls into the greased baking sheet (6 per sheet) and sprinkle lightly with pretzel or kosher salt. Repeat with the remaining rolls.

Bake the rolls on the upper and middle racks of the oven for 8-10 minutes until brown all over -- if necessary, shift pans from top to bottom and back to front halfway through, for even baking.

Let the rolls cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a rack. Serve warm, or at room temperature.

Dorie's Snickery Squares

2008-11-03T05:49:00.003-06:00

Every single food blogger on the planet with a copy of Dorie Greenspan's beloved Baking book has made these bars, so it was only appropriate that I caught up and made them myself....

Dorie likens these bars to Snickers candy bars, but they actually don't taste like Snickers bars. They are decidedly better - the shortbread crust is fantastic, in fact I'll probably use it as a base for other desserts in the future. The center is sweet, dense, with candied peanuts that are to die for. And the chocolate crust, of course, is much better than the cheap milk-crud they dip those candy bars in! I can now see why these are so popular in the Dorie-obsessed blogosphere.

They are also terribly rich, so keep in mind that a batch of these will last you a long time (or will feed many, at least).

Snickery Squares

(from Dorie's Baking: From My Home To Yours, 2006)

Ingredients:

For the Crust:
1 c. all-purpose flour

¼ c. sugar

¼ tsp. salt

1 stick unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and chilled

1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten

For the Filling:
½ c. sugar

3 Tbsp. water

1 ½ c. salted peanuts

About 1 ½ c. store-bought dulce de leche

For the Topping:
7 oz. bittersweet, coarsely chopped

½ stick unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces, at room temperature

Getting Ready:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter a 8-inch square pan and put it on a baking sheet.

To Make the Crust:
Toss the flour, sugar, powdered sugar and salt into a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Toss in the pieces of cold butter and pulse about 12 times, until the mixture looks like coarse meal. Pour the yolk over the ingredients and pulse until the dough forms clumps and curds-stop before the dough comes together in a ball.

Turn the dough into the buttered pan and gently press it evenly across the bottom of the pan. Prick the dough with a fork and slide the sheet into the oven.Bake the crust for 15-20 minutes, or until it takes on just a little color around the edges. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool to room temperature before filling.

To Make the Filling:
Have a parchment or silicone mat-lined baking sheet at the ready, as well as a long-handled wooden spoon and a medium heavy bottomed saucepan.

Put the sugar and water in the saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Keeping the heat fairly high, continue to cook the sugar, without stirring, until it just starts to color. Toss the peanuts and immediately start stirring. Keep stirring, to coat the peanuts with sugar. Within a few minutes, they will be covered with sugar and turn white—keep stirring until the sugar turns back into caramel. When the peanuts are coated with a nice deep amber caramel, remove the pan from the heat and turn the nuts out onto the baking sheet, using the wooden spoon to spread them out as best you can. Cool the nuts to room temperature.

When they are cool enough to handle, separate the nuts or break them into small pieces. Divide the nuts in half. Keep half of the nuts whole or in biggish pieces for the filling, and finely chop the other half for the topping.

Spread the dulce de leche over the shortbread base and sprinkle over the whole candied nuts.

To Make the Topping:
Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Remove chocolate from the heat and gently stir in the butter, stirring until it is fully blended into the chocolate.

Pour the chocolate over the dulce de leche, smoothing it with a long metal icing spatula, then sprinkle over the rest of the peanuts. Slide the pan into the fridge to set the topping, about 20 minutes; if you’d like to serve the squares cold, keep them refrigerated for at least 3 hours before cutting.

Cut into 16 bars.

Sweet and Spicy Pumpkin Seeds

2008-11-01T19:44:00.002-05:00

Yeah, Halloween is done and over. I am aware. But - still wanted to share this little gem with my readers. Best way to prepare those delicious little pumpkin seeds, in my opinion. They are slightly spicy, definitely sweet, and chockful of flavor. Awesome!

I doubled the batch, these two guys yielded more than enough seeds for that :) Hope everyone had a fantastic Halloween!

Sweet and Spicy Pumpkin Seeds

(compliments of Martha)

Ingredients:

1 medium pumpkin
5 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp.salt
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
Pinch of cayenne pepper, to taste
1 1/2 Tbsp. peanut oil

Preheat oven to 250 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut pumpkin open from the bottom, removing seeds with a long-handled spoon. Separate flesh from seeds, and reserve the flesh for another use (that over-achiever Martha would like for you to save it to make pie filling). Pumpkin should yield 1 cup seeds. Spread seeds on parchment in an even layer. Bake until dry, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Let cool.

In a medium bowl combine 3 tablespoons sugar, salt, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, and cayenne. Heat peanut oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add pumpkin seeds and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Cook until sugar melts and pumpkin seeds begin to caramelize, about 45 to 60 seconds. Transfer to bowl with spices, and stir well to coat. Let cool. These may be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Pizza Dough

2008-10-29T17:33:00.000-05:00

How excited was I to see that pizza was the official October Challenge for the Daring Bakers? Pizza dough is so easy, and you can get mad-creative with toppings. I saw the announcement and gloated about how much time I’d have to come up with some spectacular combination of exotic flavors... And then I barely made the deadline (what can I say, October totally got away from me). Granted, taking photos with no lightbox late in the evening does not make for the best photo opportunities, but I made do.

The “trick” to this challenge was that we had to toss the dough like the pros do, and get photographic evidence of this. Pizza dough I can make in my sleep, but tossing the dough? Yeah, I officially suck at that. That dough never got more than an inch from my knuckles and it usually got holes in it – oopie. But! I gave it the old college try, as evidenced by the photo below. Thanks to Hubs for capturing this stunning action shot:

Yeah, see? The late evening is not the best for shooting.

I decided to make a bunch of small pizzas with random toppings. One was what I call “autumn margherita style”, with fresh mozzeralla and garlic and sun-dried tomatoes with a touch of dried basil. Another was classic veggie, with lots of mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, black olives… The third was the Hub’s creation, some thing with man toppings (I have no idea, was in a cold-induced fog), and the last was roasted chicken with garlic, bell peppers, and onions. Yum! I was going to make dessert pizza but decided against it at the last minute, given all the Halloween candies I already consumed that day. C’est la vie, I’ll give it a go next time I make pizza…

A big thanks to Rosa of Rosa’s Yummy Yums for hosting this challenge. And don’t forget to check out the other Daring Bakers’ versions this month – there are a ton of mouth-watering pizza combinations out there!

Pizza Dough
(from The Bread Baker’s Apprentice by Peter Reinhart)

Ingredients:
4 1/2 c. unbleached high-gluten bread flour or all purpose flour, chilled
1 3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. instant yeast
1/4 c. olive oil
1 3/4 c. water, ice cold
1 Tbsp. sugar
Semolina/durum flour or cornmeal for dusting

Day 1
Mix together the flour, salt and instant yeast in a big bowl (or in the bowl of your stand mixer).

Add the oil, sugar and cold water and mix well (with the help of a large wooden spoon or with the paddle attachment, on low speed) in order to form a sticky ball of dough. On a clean surface, knead for about 5-7 minutes, until the dough is smooth and the ingredients are homogeneously distributed. If it is too wet, add a little flour (not too much, though) and if it is too dry add 1 or 2 teaspoons extra water.

NOTE: If you are using an electric mixer, switch to the dough hook and mix on medium speed for the same amount of time. The dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom of the bowl. If the dough is too wet, sprinkle in a little more flour, so that it clears the sides. If, on the contrary, it clears the bottom of the bowl, dribble in a teaspoon or two of cold water.

The finished dough should be springy, elastic, and sticky, not just tacky, and register 50°-55° F/10°-13° C.

Flour a work surface or counter. Line a jelly pan with baking paper/parchment. Lightly oil the paper.

With the help of a metal or plastic dough scraper, cut the dough into 6 equal pieces (or larger if you want to make larger pizzas).

To avoid the dough from sticking to the scraper, dip the scraper into water between cuts.

Sprinkle some flour over the dough. Make sure your hands are dry and then flour them. Gently round each piece into a ball.

NOTE: If the dough sticks to your hands, then dip your hands into the flour again.

Transfer the dough balls to the lined jelly pan and mist them generously with spray oil. Slip the pan into plastic bag or enclose in plastic food wrap.

Put the pan into the refrigerator and let the dough rest overnight or for up to thee days.

NOTE: You can store the dough balls in a zippered freezer bag if you want to save some of the dough for any future baking. In that case, pour some oil (a few tablespoons only) in a medium bowl and dip each dough ball into the oil, so that it is completely covered in oil. Then put each ball into a separate bag. Store the bags in the freezer for no longer than 3 months. The day before you plan to make pizza, remember to transfer the dough balls from the freezer to the refrigerator.

Day 2
On the day you plan to eat pizza, exactly 2 hours before you make it, remove the desired number of dough balls from the refrigerator. Dust the counter with flour and spray lightly with oil. Place the dough balls on a floured surface and sprinkle them with flour. Dust your hands with flour and delicately press the dough into disks about 1/2 inch thick and 5 inches in diameter. Sprinkle with flour and mist with oil. Loosely cover the dough rounds with plastic wrap and then allow to rest for 2 hours.

At least 45 minutes before making the pizza, place a baking stone on the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven as hot as possible (500° F/260° C).

NOTE: If you do not have a baking stone, then use the back of a jelly pan. Do not preheat the pan.

Generously sprinkle the back of a jelly pan with semolina/durum flour or cornmeal. Flour your hands (palms, backs and knuckles). Take 1 piece of dough by lifting it with a pastry scraper. Lay the dough across your fists in a very delicate way and carefully stretch it by bouncing it in a circular motion on your hands, and by giving it a little stretch with each bounce. Once the dough has expanded outward, move to a full toss.

NOTE: Make only one pizza at a time. During the tossing process, if the dough tends to stick to your hands, lay it down on the floured counter and reflour your hands, then continue the tossing and shaping. In case you would be having trouble tossing the dough or if the dough never wants to expand and always springs back, let it rest for approximately 5-20 minutes in order for the gluten to relax fully,then try again. You can also resort to using a rolling pin, although it isn’t as effective as the toss method.

When the dough has the shape you want (about 9-12 inches/23-30 cm in diameter - for a 6 ounces/180g piece of dough), place it on the back of the jelly pan, making sure there is enough semolina/durum flour or cornmeal to allow it to slide and not stick to the pan.

Lightly top it with sweet or savory toppings of your choice.

NOTE: Remember that the best pizzas are topped not too generously. No more than 3 or 4 toppings (including sauce and cheese) are sufficient.

Slide the garnished pizza onto the stone in the oven or bake directly on the jelly pan. Close the door and bake for about 5-8 minutes.

NOTE: After 2 minutes baking, take a peek. For an even baking, rotate 180°.If the top gets done before the bottom, you will need to move the stone or jelly pane to a lower shelf before the next round. On the contrary, if the bottom crisps before the cheese caramelizes, then you will need to raise the stone or jelly pan.

Take the pizza out of the oven and transfer it to a cutting board or your plate. In order to allow the cheese to set a little, wait 3-5 minutes before slicing or serving.

Spicy Cocoa Gingersnaps

2008-10-25T15:38:00.001-05:00

I wanted some molasses cookies, badly. I also wanted that spicy chocolate gingerbread cake. So, I decided to try to come up with my own little concoction...

There isn't much 'snap' in these gingersnaps - they are a bit more on the soft side, with crispy outsides. Just flat with a few roadbumps from the bittersweet chocolate; next time I'll try to get them a bit poofier.

These little suckers will curb many a craving, though - chocolate? Yup. Spicy? You got it. And sweet and warm with spices? Bingo :) These babies are a triple threat.

Spicy Cocoa Gingersnaps

(recipe by Nemmie)

Ingredients:
2 c. all-purpose flour
1/3 c. cocoa powder
2 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 ½ tsp. cinnamon
1 ½ tsp. ginger
1 tsp. chili powder
¾ tsp. ground cloves
¼ tsp. allspice
¾ c. shortening
½ c. dark brown sugar
½ c. granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/3 c. molasses
1 c. bittersweet chocolate, cut into chunks

Preheat oven to 375 F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, sift and mix together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, chili powder, cloves, and allspice. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and sugars, until fluffy (about 2 minutes). Add the egg, vanilla, and molasses. Beat until combined, about 30 seconds.

Add dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated. Stir in bittersweet chocolate bits.

Roll dough into small balls, and flatten ever-so-slightly with the palm of your hand. Place on cookie sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake 11-13 minutes, then cool on racks.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

2008-10-23T05:29:00.002-05:00

My dear friend Sarah over at Chomping the Big Apple is having a blogging event, and while I've been missing from most of those things lately, I had to give it a shot.

So what's this Cooking with Love thing even all about? We are to tell a love-related baking story, and blog the recipe on our site. Well, here you go, Sarah! Settle in with a big cup of coffee and a nice cupcake, I tend to write novels...

Everyone in life is blessed with some kind of good fortune. Maybe it's well-to-do parents. Maybe it's a dazzling voice. Maybe it's that perfect body where said person rarely goes to the gym and eats nonstop and still wears a perfect pert size 0 (hello Tinnie dear, I am referring to you here). In my life, my good fortune is my husband.

My husband has beautiful green eyes and a smart-ass smile. He twirls his wedding band around his finger when he's deep in thought. He has an obsession with all televised sports: when his teams are playing he will cheer yell and carry on like I've never seen before. And while he'd never admit to it, he has the most wicked sweet tooth I've ever seen. He bellows at me if I stir the pan while he's cooking, and he rubs his face whenever he grows tired, and he gives the best back scratches in the world.

My husband is smart, with the accurate answer whether it's a TV quiz show or questions about sports stats or where the stocks are going. He is our household's official bug executioner. He has a remarkable knack for fixing electronics, and he likes to tease me about my shoe collection. When we do the grocery shopping, he always sneaks away at some point and buys me flowers from the floral department. My husband is so good with my family. Often he is quite the goofball, the person who always makes me laugh and brings out my own sarcastic sense of humor. He also has a way of giving me a squeeze when he walks by me and a quick smile that makes me feel like the luckiest girl in the Midwest.

On one of our early dates he took me to one of his fraternity formals, and I remember afterwards sitting in a shady diner in KC at 3am, he in a nice suit and me barefoot in a slinky ice-blue number, laughing and digging into pancakes (and enjoying ourselves much more than we did at the stuffy formal). Even today, when I hear the doorknob turn in the evenings, my stomach does flip-flops and I make sure to quickly run my fingers through my hair.

My husband is tender and patient and kind. Always the level-headed one between us, he never gets overly excited or anxious. He never raises his voice. When everything else is chaos, he's like a deep breath of fresh air. Always calm and quiet yet earnest, my husband. That's just who he is.

I could go on and on and on, but people have other places to be. So let me just say that I'll always consider to be lucky because of him. And I pretty much don't deserve him, at all. He's the thing I'm blessed with in life, no doubt about it.

Now, to get back on topic: I mentioned his sweet tooth. Oh, but that man has quite the raging sweet tooth! Chocolate is a favorite, but if you want to really bring him to his knees: do a chocolate and peanut butter combo. That will get him every time, and so from early on in our relationship I have been making this flavor combination in every imaginable confection I can possibly bake.

In honor of that darling Husband-man: I made his absolute favorite, a peanut butter and chocolate dream. These suckers come from Ina Garten (a cookbook that Hubs, incidentally, bought me for my last birthday). The cupcake itself is deep, richly cocoa with a soft crumb, and the creamy peanut butter frosting tastes just like the inside of a Reeses Peanut Butter cup. 'Perfection', as my husband would refer to them.

Happy (late) anniversary, Sarah!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting
(from Barefoot Contessa at Home, 2006)

Ingredients:
12 Tbsp. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 c. granulated sugar
2/3 c. light brown sugar, packed
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 c. buttermilk, shaken, at room temperature
1/2 c. sour cream, at room temperature
2 Tbsp. brewed coffee
1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
Kathleen's Peanut Butter Icing, recipe follows
Chopped salted peanuts, to decorate

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and 2 sugars on high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes. Lower the speed to medium, add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla and mix well.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, and coffee. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. On low speed, add the buttermilk mixture and the flour mixture alternately in thirds to the mixer bowl, beginning with the buttermilk mixture and ending with the flour mixture. Mix only until blended. Fold the batter with a rubber spatula to be sure it's completely blended.

Divide the batter among the cupcake pans (1 rounded standard ice cream scoop per cup is the right amount). Bake in the middle of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, remove from the pans, and allow to cool completely before frosting.

Frost each cupcake with Peanut Butter Icing and sprinkle with chopped peanuts, if desired.

Kathleen's Peanut Butter Icing:

Ingredients:
1 c. confectioners' sugar
1 c. creamy peanut butter
5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 tsp.pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/3 c. heavy cream

Place the confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.

Cherry-Almond Upside Down Cake, and a Tag!

2008-10-17T05:15:00.005-05:00

I've been tagged! Twice!

Not only by my girl Beth, Mommy Extraordinaire to Ethan, but also by my fellow-Eldridge-bride and pal Michelle. Yay! I'm one in a long line of Realies getting tagged for this thing ;) Here we go:

5 Joys
1. Baking and cooking (both are relaxing to me)
2. Chillin’ with the Hubs and R2D2
3. Nighttime snowfalls
4. Family: I luff you all, my lovelies
5. Christmastime – that period between Thanksgiving and Christmas is just so lovely!

5 Fears
1. Tornadoes
2. Losing an eye or a finger (seriously, big fears of mine)
3. Losing someone I love
4. Since we bought the house – something happening so we struggle financially
5. I’m what you’d call a “nervous flyer” – I do it (because honestly, in this day and age, you can’t not fly), but I do it with clammy hands. Hurtling through the air in a metal tube is just not my idea of fun, sorry.

5 Obsessions
1. Home decorating
2. Rock Chalk Jayhawk!
3. Hanging out (cyber-style or in real life) with the RB gals
4. Saison
5. Baking baking baking :)

5 Surprising Facts
1. I cannot make decent pie crust to save my life.
2. I am allergic to scallops.
3. I love going to new hair stylists, just because they generally fawn all over my hair (it's boring mouse brown, but also very thick, soft, and shiny).
4. I played the french horn in junior high.
5. Remember how my work was opening a time capsule left by the Beanie Weenie factory? Well, we had this huge company unveiling of the canisters... and they were empty. Empty! It was like a giant practical joke.

Now, try this lovely grown-up cake. Super delicious, and healthy too! That sweet cherry wine reduction is just divine.

Cherry-Almond Upside Down Cake
(from Cooking Light, June 2005)

Ingredients:
1 1/4 c. sugar, divided
1/4 c. dry red wine
2 lbs. dark sweet cherries, pitted (I used frozen, and thawed them overnight in the fridge)
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
Cooking spray
3/4 c. whole blanched almonds, toasted
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Combine 1/4 cup sugar and wine in a large saucepan over low heat; stir until sugar dissolves.

Increase heat to medium-high; bring to a boil. Stir in cherries. Reduce heat to low, and cook 5 minutes or until cherries just begin to soften, stirring frequently. Remove cherries from pan with a slotted spoon, reserving liquid in pan. Place cherries in a bowl; stir in lemon juice. Arrange cherries in an even layer in bottom of a 9-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray.

Cook wine mixture over medium-high heat 3 minutes or until reduced to 1/4 cup. Remove from heat; drizzle over cherries in prepared pan.

Place almonds and 2 tablespoons sugar in a food processor; process until finely ground (do not process to a paste).

Place eggs and egg whites in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer at high speed until foamy; slowly add remaining 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar. Beat until thick and lemon-colored (about 2 minutes).

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and salt.

Gradually sift flour mixture over egg mixture; fold in. Fold in ground almond mixture. Carefully spoon batter over cherries in prepared pan. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes. Place a plate upside down on top of cake; invert onto plate.

Roasted Brussels Sprout Salad

2008-10-15T05:47:00.001-05:00

My favorite little grocery store has the most amazing grocery-made food offerings, I swear. The coffee/juices/smoothies are amazing, the main dishes rock (usually a salmon, a meatless option, and ground beef or turkey), the green salads and deli sandwiches are soooo good... Don't even get me started on their hummus, which is always in the fridge at home. My favorite of their offerings, though, are the side dishes.

They have a fantastic tabbouleh mix. A quinoa grain with black beans and mango. Lentil salads, Chinese noodle salads, side salads galore. They have roasted sweet potatoes with orange and caramelized onions, and the side dish I grab almost every time I'm there: roasted Brussels sprouts with lemon and garlic, and a dusting of fresh Parm. Oh, so so good.

Finally I decided to get off my lazy butt and try to make this at home. And embarrassingly enough: it was pretty easy to replicate. The outcome here is a little different, a stronger garlic flavor than The Merc's version, otherwise almost identical though. I love the crunchy, crispy (sweetly caramelized) Brussels sprouts with the tangy lemon and nutty cheese. Ooooh, you gotta try this yourself. You won't be disappointed.

Roasted Brussels Sprout Salad

(another Nemmie original)

Ingredients:

1 lb. Brussels sprouts, washed and dried

4 garlic cloves, sliced

4 Tbsp. olive oil

2 Tbsp. butter

Salt and pepper

Zest of 1 lemon

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425 F. Cut sprouts in half and toss on a sheet pan with garlic slices. Pour olive oil over the mixture, and season with salt and pepper (and half of the lemon zest). Toss to coat, then top with small bits of the butter.

Pop in the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes, then stir and lower heat to 400 F. Bake for another 15-20 minutes. The sprouts will be tender and caramelized. Remove from oven, and allow to cool to room temperature.

In a medium bowl: toss cooled sprouts with remaining lemon zest, lemon juice, and Parmesan cheese. Chill or serve room temperature.

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

2008-10-13T04:50:00.001-05:00

...Or, as I prefer to call them: super lazy cheater cookies. I reserve these goodies for when I'm in a terrible hurry (or have greatly procrastinated) and can barely prop my eyelids open with toothpicks. They are super-quick, quite possibly the quickest cookie recipe prep ever.

The taste is pretty good for how easy they are - I like to add a few extras to bring out the pumpkin flavor, and love to add chips as well for some texture difference. The cookies are VERY cakey, usually not a big fan but hey - I can deal when it's this easy!

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

(adapted from here)

Ingredients:

1 (18.25 oz.) package spice cake mix
1 (15 oz.) can solid pack pumpkin

3/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 c. bittersweet chocolate chunks

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease cookie sheets.

In a large bowl, stir together the cake mix, pumpkin, spice, and vanilla until well blended. Stirn in chips. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheet.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Orange Rosemary Madeleines

2008-10-11T16:57:00.001-05:00

Let's talk about my mother-in-law.

Well, let's not call her by that name, which gives some readers shutters and bad connotations. Let's call her K. I did not meet my future mother-in-law right away when Hubs and I started dating; in fact, it took almost a year, not until his college graduation, for me to finally meet her. *

* In his defense, his parents lived about 200 miles from the college we both attended; not to mention, Hubs is quiet and private to almost a fault. Don't get me wrong, it's a valuable trait for a person to have (and one I share with him), but it is also somewhat of a curse.

Even now, we live a 3-hour drive from my in-laws. They are wonderful people, but because of the distance we don't get to see them as often as we (or they) would like. Even with the distance, though, I've been able to connect with that smart, sweet, soft-spoken woman who is my mother-in-law.

She's the one who immediately gives me a tight hug at the start and end of every visit to see them. The one who sits by me at family gatherings, fills me in on their family history, tells me how things are going around the town they live in. When we got married, the only time I almost cried was right before the ceremony, when she came over to calm me and tell me how beautiful I looked. And on a superficial note, I wanted a KitchenAid Mixer, bad. Have for awhile now. She wanted to get me one, and after seeing our new home, surprised me with the perfect one: almond in color, to match all our other appliances. What would I do without that woman, I tell you ;)

Most importantly, though, she really listens to me and understands me. We may not spend a lot of face-time together, but I feel very close to K. One time (once!) I mentioned that I needed a Madeleine pan, in passing. K. is the one who found this pan, scoured and cleaned it into pristine condition, and gave it to me as a "just because" gift.

So, K.'s the one who I thought of the entire time I made these little confections, and the one I think of every time I bust out the KitchenAid mixer (which, as my fellow bakers can agree, is done pretty darn often). Thanks K. for everything you've done for me :) It's warming and comforting to know you're thinking of me, too, in those odd moments of any day.

On to the Madeleine recipe: these suckers were good, the rosemary flavor was faint and blended so well with the orange. The recipe is a keeper, and for sure I'll make these cookies again and again.

Orange Rosemary Madeleines

(from Dorie's Baking: From My Home To Yours, 2006)

Ingredients:
5 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 1/2 Tbsp. rosemary; keep on the stem (2-3 stems)
3/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/3 c. sugar
Grated zest of half an orange
2 large eggs
2 Tbsp.. honey
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven at 400 F.

Melt the butter with the rosemary in a small saucepan, remove from heat, and let sit for 15 minutes to infuse. Strain/discard the rosemary stems from the butter.

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Working with a stand mixer and whisk attachment, beat the eggs, sugar, and orange zest until pale and thick, about 3 minutes. (NOTE: I like to rub the orange zest into the sugar before adding the eggs, to better capture the flavor.) Add the honey and vanilla and beat for one minute more. Switch to a rubber spatula and incorporate the dry ingredients. Fold in the rosemary butter. Refrigerate the batter at least 2 hours or up to 3 days. (helps to create the bumps characteristic of madeleines).

Butter and flour your madeleines molds and divide the batter evenly. My molds are larger than the average molds, so I got 6 big cookies.

Bake 12-14 minutes, until they are golden brown.

Roasted Beet Salad

2008-10-09T05:26:00.003-05:00

My favorite corner market is starting to change out their regular items - the fresh berries and tender greens are gone, and the hearty gourds, the apples/pears/figs, and the root veggies are coming out full force.

Now: beets are something they have year-round, but my last trip they happened to have yellow, gold, and regular (red) beets. All I could think about was what a beautiful salad these beets could make, so I filled up my basket with a few pounds of them.

This beet salad comes from Serious Eats. It is perhaps more of a summer recipe, but it was good with the sandwiches that we've been having for dinner most of this (very busy) week. Sweet beets, raw spicy onion, and the tart vinaigrette all give it such great flavor, as well as my absolute favorite (cilantro). Yum! Give it a shot next time you need an easy (and tasty) side dish.

Roasted Beet Salad

(from Serious Eats)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. beets, stems removed and washed

3 Tbsp. olive oil

1/4 red onion, thinly sliced

1 Serrano chile, seed and thinly chopped

1 tsp. minced ginger

2 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped

Pinch of sugar

2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Sprinkle the beets with salt and a tablespoon of the olive oil. Wrap in aluminum foil, leaving a little hole in the top facing up, and set in a roasting pan. Cook until easily pierced with a knife, 45-60 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix together the rest of the olive oil, red onion, Serrano, ginger, cilantro, sugar, and red wine vinegar.

When beets are done and cool enough to handle, peel and chop into 1/2 inch pieces.

Mix with the rest of the ingredients. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Hershey's Candy Corn Cookies

2008-10-07T05:32:00.003-05:00

Ah, candy corn. I absolutely love the stuff. Not sure why, but it's one of those things I just must have every year in the fall. You know how to make candy corn extra yummy, by the way? Mix in equal amounts cashews or peanuts. Mmmmmmmm. Best stuff ever.

So, Hershey has had this thing the past few years for making gimmicky, flavored Kisses. I've tried a few and they were good - the cherry cordial, the toffee, etc. (oh man, while we're on topic: check out Zoe's awesomely cute Kiss Site, it is too ridiculously adorable for words).

Anyway. Where was I? Oh, yes - this season, Hershey came out with a Candy Corn Kiss, so um, yeah. Straight into the grocery cart, two bags in fact (hey, if they're good I don't want them to be sold out later). They don't taste exactly like real candy corn - that signature honey/caramelized sugar taste is more buttery, maybe because it's really white candy stuff we're dealing with (not white chocolate, but white stuff. Whatever, I'm trying not to think too hard about it). Still fantastic, a great showing by the Hershey company.

This recipe came off the back of the bag, and make for a nice way to get rid of a whole bag of these goodies so that I don't gorge myself :) The cookies are basically peanut butter with oatmeal in them, and a nice drizzle (as well as whole Kiss) of their candy corn goodness. Mmmm. Very cute presentation, and perfect for the autumn time!

Hershey's Candy Corn Cookies

(from the back of the bag, baby)

Ingredients:

3/4 c. creamy peanut butter
1/2 c. shortening
1/3 c. granulated sugar
1/3 c. light brown sugar, packed
1 egg
2 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/3 c. quick-cooking oats, divided
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
66 Hershey candy corn kisses (pretty much the whole bag)

Heat oven to 350°F Beat peanut butter and shortening in large bowl until well blended. Add granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together 1/2 cup oats, flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in remaining oats; place on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten cookies with tines of fork to form a crisscross pattern.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.

Remove wrappers from candies. Place 18 candies in heavy-duty resealable plastic food storage bag. Microwave at MEDIUM (50%) 30 seconds; knead bag and candies. If necessary, microwave at MEDIUM an additional 15 seconds at a time, kneading after each heating, until candies are melted and color is uniform. Cool slightly. Cut off corner of bag about 1/8 inch from point. Lightly drizzle cookies. Before drizzle sets, place candy piece in center of each cookie.

Hawaiian Poke Stack

2008-10-05T05:28:00.007-05:00

There is an outdoor shopping complex in the KC area called The Legends at Village West. That place is full to the brim with restaurants and retail (most outlets, like for Ann Taylor and Banana Republic and BCBG... me likey). It's a place we head to any time we need some retail therapy or just some window shopping, and of course a nice meal.

There are a plethora of restaurants to choose from, but we always seem to find ourselves at The Yard House. Hubs wants to go there for the beer, but I want to go there because the food is outstanding for a chain beer place. Namely (and something I get almost every single time), I go for their Hawaiian Poke Stack.

Spicy raw Ahi tuna served with crispy lavash crackers, avocado, and a wasabi soy sauce. When I have this beautifully-plated dish in front of me, I usually immediately dismantle it and give a good stir once around the plate, to mix all the components. Then it's just dipping up the spicy, buttery (and crunchy from the veggies) concoction with crackers. Heaven!

When I found out the Daring Bakers were making Lavash Crackers in September, I was totally stoked. Finally an excuse to try to recreate this dish at home! Then I was crestfallen - our dip had to be not only gluten free (yay, pass!) but also vegan (um, raw tuna? FAIL). So I made sure to save back a few crackers anyway, and do this dish for another post.

I kinda researched online about making your own poke, and read the menu description closely the last time we went to this restaurant (I also tried to pay attention to all the flavors going on). All in all, I think this is a very close copy of what is served at The Yard House. You might want to cut down a bit on the wasabi mixture; I went a little crazy (looooove that spicy wasabi). And don't marinade too long, or your veggies will lose that crispy texture! Mmmm, though: this will definitely get me through when it's been a long stretch between visits to Hubs' (second) favorite restaurant.

Hawaiian Poke Stack

(by Nemmie, inspired by Yard House)

Ingredients:
1/2 c. water
3 Tbsp. wasabi powder (horseradish powder)
1/3 c. reduced-sodium soy sauce
3 Tbsp. peanut oil
1 Tbsp. dry Sherry
1 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1 1/2 tsp. minced fresh ginger
4 green onions, very thinly sliced
Sesame Lavash Crackers (see here)
6 oz. sushi-grade tuna, finely diced
1/2 c. julienned carrots
1/2 c. bean sprouts
1 avocado, diced

Sesame seeds, for garnish

For the sauce: Whisk 1/2 cup water and wasabi powder in medium bowl to form smooth paste. Whisk in soy sauce, 2 tablespoons peanut oil, Sherry, sesame oil and ginger. Stir in green onions. Set aside.

Mix the tuna with half of the wasabi soy sauce mixture. Stir the carrots and bean sprouts with the remaining mixture. Allow both to marinade at least 20 minutes.

To create the stack: Mound 1/4 of the marinated vegetables and a few chunks of tuna on the center of two plates (reserve the sauce for end of plating). Place a cracker on each mound, then top with tuna. Top with another cracker. Place remaining vegetable mixture on top of this, and drizzle reserved soy mixture around outside of plate. Slice the avocado, and fan on the other side of the plate. Sprinkle with sesame seeds to garnish.

Dig in!

S'mores Brownies

2008-10-03T05:10:00.002-05:00

My brother Paulo will have Hubs and a few friends over every Sunday to watch ball games, and he's gracious enough to also feed that motley crew while they yell over the calls at the Chiefs game and complain about their Fantasy Football choices for the week. Aside from grabbing some beer on his way, Hubs is also nice enough to offer to bring dessert - which, of course, I am stuck making. Not really an issue, though, since I usually have lots of new recipes to try, and that makes it easier to get rid of the results :)

Here is one of the products of one Game Day baking experiment -S'mores brownies. Kathleen (of Tate's Bake Shop fame) named them 'Beach Brownies', but to me they are also like those treats everyone knows from cook-outs, camping trips, and picnics - s'mores. A lovely graham crust, fudgy chocolatey center, and toasted marshmallows covering the top. Yum!

Beware, though, these suckers are rich! A small piece goes a long way.

S'mores Brownies

(adapted from Tate's Bake Shop Cookbook, 2005)

Ingredients:

2 c. graham cracker crumbs

7 Tbsp. salted butter, melted

1 c. salted butter

1 1/2 c. sugar

3 1/2 c. bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 Tbsp. vanilla

5 large eggs

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. salt

4 oz. milk chocolate, chopped

25-40 mini marshmallows (about half a bag)

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

In a small bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter. Spoon the mixture into a glass 9X13 pan, and pat down evenly to cover the bottom only. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, heat the buter and sugar, stirring constantly until the sugar and butter are melted. In a large bowl, add the chopped bittersweet chocolate. Pour the hot sugar mixture over the chocolate and stir until it is melted. Add the vanilla and mix. Beat in the eggs, one at a time.

In a medium bowl, mix the flour and salt together. Add the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture and stir until they are just combined. Stir in the chopped milk chocolate chunks.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Place the marshmallows evenly over the top.

Bake the brownies for 40-50 minutes, until crackled on top and a knife inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. Let the brownies cool on a wire rack, and then cut.

Cappuccino Crunch Bars

2008-10-01T05:55:00.000-05:00

Recently, my company had a charity Bake Sale. Sadly I didn't make anything for it - a different department hosted and pulled off the event, so I just felt like I was intruding if I brought over half a dozen baked goods. Instead, I decided to go down to the break room with my hard-earned dollars and contribute in a monetary fashion. I grabbed some Rice Krispie Treats, and also some yummy-looking, cocoa-hued cookies. They looked very soft and cakey, and like they had peanut-butter chips inside. Yum!

Um, no. These puppies were NOT good. Sorry if the baker is reading this (although I doubt it, because work folks don't really know about my blog), but: they were pretty much infused with about every baking ingredient known to man. The cookie base was chocolate, with both a strong vanilla as well as almond flavoring taste. Rather than cakey, they were very hard and crunchy. And no wonder: they were chock full of butterscotch chips, peanut butter chips, nuts, raisins, and dried cherries, cinnamon and nutmeg... Frankly, there could have been more things in there but there was only so much assault that my taste buds could handle. Pretty much a cookie flavor free-for-all.

Now, why would I bring up those terrible cookies as a lead-in to this recipe? Well, you see, I decided to make this recipe soon after that Yucky Cookie fiasco. A friend made them, and they sounded so so so good. Only: after starting in, I realized that these bars might have much the same problem. They contained so many different flavors: cinnamon, orange, white chocolate, coffee, chocolate-covered toffee bits... Uh oh. Not a good sign.

Thankfully, these bars were nothing like those awful cookies: soft interior with a crispy crust, the flavors went soo well together. The toffee and the orange dominate the most, with a warm, cinnamon-white-chocolate aftertaste. Mmm. So fear not, dear readers! These bars most definitely will not make you run for the nearest garbage can :)

Cappuccino Crunch Bars
(from Stacey at Simply Tasty)

Ingredients:
1 3/4 c. all purpose flour, sifted
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup butter (2 sticks) softened
1 1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 c. granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. instant coffee granules dissolved in 1 Tbsp. hot water, cooled to room temp
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. grated orange peel
1 c. white chocolate chips
1 c. chocolate covered toffee bits

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease 10X15 jelly roll pan

Combine flour, baking soda, salt & cinnamon in large bowl; set aside. Beat butter and sugars with mixer at medium speed until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well. Add coffee mixture, vanilla, and orange peel; beat well. Stir in chocolate chips and toffee.

Pour batter into pan. Bake 30-40 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars.

Braised Chicken with Figs and Bay

2008-09-29T05:03:00.000-05:00

It's fresh fig time, folks. Hit up that grocery or market and pick up a carton or two!

I love fresh figs; they remind me of grapes with lots of teeny strawberry seeds in them. I found this recipe after searching for something to use up the extra figs in our fridge before they went bad. Soooo good. And pretty healthy. I love this recipe because it's good for you, flavorful, and doesn't take a lot of cooking skills. Give it a shot if you have the time, because while an easy dish to pull off: the presentation is pretty stellar - you can definitely impress if you have a dinner party.

Braised Chicken with Figs and Bay

(adapted from Cooking Light, August 2000)

Ingredients:

6 chicken thighs
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
8 bay leaves
2 tsp. olive oil
1/4 c. water
1/2 c. sliced shallots
1/3 c. dry red wine
3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. honey
16 fresh figs, each cut in half lengthwise

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Place 1 bay leaf on each chicken thigh. Heat oil in a heavy 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat.

Place chicken, bay leaf sides down, in pan. Cook 5 minutes or until browned. Turn chicken over; cook 3 minutes. Add water; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Remove chicken from pan. Add shallots; cook 2 minutes. Add chicken, wine, vinegar, and honey to pan; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until chicken is done.

Add figs; cover and simmer 5 minutes or until figs are tender.

Serve over rice or couscous.

Lavash Crackers

2008-09-27T00:01:00.006-05:00

This one kinda sneaked up on me. Thank goodness I double-checked the deadline a few days ago! Gave me time to eek out my entry into our monthly little baking club.

This month, we spiced things up a bit. Our challenge was to make lavash crackers (an Armenian hard flatbread), and gluten-free ones to boot. Our first Alternative Challenge! I have never in my life worried about the gluten in my life, love the stuff. Can't live without it. I've tried gluten-free bread just out of curiosity, from my favorite Hippie Grocery Store even, but it was just so... dry. Dry dry dry. Never grabbed the gluten-free bread again.

But for the Daring Bakers, I'll give it a shot.

These crackers actually whipped up rather quickly - in fact, I think it's a challenge for the record books as far as "least amount of time suck". We were given free reign as to our cracker toppings, and I went with sesame seeds. I have plans for some of the leftover crackers, muah-ha-ha-ha. You have to wait and see what that entails.

Another part of the challenge was to make a dip or relish to accompany our crackers, but on one condition: it had to be vegan and gluten-free. A wee bit trickier. My original intention was to make some cool little pickled hot relish, or maybe some exotic dip. I ran out of time trying to think up something Fantastic, however, so I went with the old stand-by: hummus. Not like that's a bad thing, to be honest, but a wee bit boring. Ah, well - nothing wrong with a classic, right?

I am happy to report that both crackers and dip were quite lovely together. I left my crackers a little bit thicker than I think was recommended, just so they would have the slightest bit of softness for my dip (would be sad to try to eat hummus with shards of cracker flying everywhere). Not bad! I might venture into the gluten-free bread world a little bit more often, even if just to make these crackers again.

A big thanks to Natalie and Shel for the challenge! And as always, click the link to see more Daring Baker takes on this vegan and gluten-free Challenge.

Lavash Crackers

(from The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering The Art of Extraordinary Bread)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. unbleached bread flour or gluten free flour blend

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. instant yeast

1 Tbsp. agave syrup or sugar

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1/3 to 1/2 c. + 2 Tbsp. water, at room temperature

Poppy seeds, sesame seeds, paprika, cumin seeds, caraway seeds, or kosher salt for toppings

In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, salt yeast, agave, oil, and just enough water to bring everything together into a ball. You may not need the full 1/2 cup + 2 Tb of water, but be prepared to use it all if needed.

For Non Gluten Free Cracker Dough: Sprinkle some flour on the counter and transfer the dough to the counter. Knead for about 10 minutes, or until the ingredients are evenly distributed. The dough should pass the windowpane test (see http://www.wikihow.com/Determine-if-Bread-Dough-Has-Been-Mixed-Long-Enough for a discription of this) and register 77 degrees to 81 degrees Fahrenheit. The dough should be firmer than French bread dough, but not quite as firm as bagel dough (what I call medium-firm dough), satiny to the touch, not tacky, and supple enough to stretch when pulled.

Lightly oil a bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

OR:

For Gluten Free Cracker Dough: The dough should be firmer than French bread dough, but not quite as firm as bagel dough (what I call medium-firm dough), and slightly tacky. Lightly oil a bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

Ferment at room temperature for 90 minutes, or until the dough doubles in size. (You can also retard the dough overnight in the refrigerator immediately after kneading or mixing).

For Non Gluten Free Cracker Dough: Mist the counter lightly with spray oil and transfer the dough to the counter. Press the dough into a square with your hand and dust the top of the dough lightly with flour. Roll it out with a rolling pin into a paper thin sheet about 15 inches by 12 inches. You may have to stop from time to time so that the gluten can relax. At these times, lift the dough from the counter and wave it a little, and then lay it back down.

Cover it with a towel or plastic wrap while it relaxes. When it is the desired thinness, let the dough relax for 5 minutes. Line a sheet pan with baking parchment. Carefully lift the sheet of dough and lay it on the parchment. If it overlaps the edge of the pan, snip off the excess with scissors. or4. For Gluten Free Cracker Dough: Lay out two sheets of parchment paper. Divide the cracker dough in half and then sandwich the dough between the two sheets of parchment. Roll out the dough until it is a paper thin sheet about 15 inches by 12 inches. Slowly peel away the top layer of parchment paper. Then set the bottom layer of parchment paper with the cracker dough on it onto a baking sheet.

Preheat the oven to 350 F with the oven rack on the middle shelf. Mist the top of the dough with water and sprinkle a covering of seeds or spices on the dough (such as alternating rows of poppy seeds, sesame seeds, paprika, cumin seeds, caraway seeds, kosher or pretzel salt, etc.) Be careful with spices and salt - a little goes a long way. If you want to precut the cracker, use a pizza cutter (rolling blade) and cut diamonds or rectangles in the dough. You do not need to separate the pieces, as they will snap apart after baking. If you want to make shards, bake the sheet of dough without cutting it first.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crackers begin to brown evenly across the top (the time will depend on how thinly and evenly you rolled the dough).

When the crackers are baked, remove the pan from the oven and let them cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. You can then snap them apart or snap off shards and serve.

Classic Hummus

Ingredients:
4 garlic cloves, minced and then mashed
2 (14 oz.) cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2/3 c. tahini
1/3 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 c. water
1/4 c. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt

Paprika and olive oil, for garnish

Combine the first 5 ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Slowly stream in olive oil, until combined. Season to taste with salt.

Transfer to a serving bowl, sprinkle with paprika, and drizzle with olive oil.

Breakfast Parfaits

2008-09-25T05:08:00.003-05:00

I am a sucker for a healthy breakfast that masquerades as dessert.

This recipe is to-die for, I love all the nuts and coconut in it. It's a fantastic basic granola recipe, and after making it a time or two you can decide what you want to add to it - sometimes I'll add different nuts and dried fruit, or vanilla flavoring, or those yogurt-covered raisin things. YUM!

Just layer the granola with fresh (or jarred) fruit and yogurt to make a filling, satisfying breakfast 'treat'. Thank the lord for Ina Garten - for once, something I'll make a lot because it doesn't have tons of butter and cream ;)

Breakfast Parfaits

(from Barefoot Contessa at Home, 2006)

Ingredients:

1 c. quick-cooking (not instant) rolled oats

1/2 c. sweetened, shredded coconut

1/2 c. sliced or slivered almonds

3 Tbsp. vegetable oil

2 Tbsp. honey

2 c. of your favorite fruit, diced if needed

2 c. plain yogurt (or flavored if you so desire; I like Dannon Light & Fit vanilla)

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Toss the oats, coconut, almonds, oil, and honey together in a large bowl until they are completely combined. Pour onto a sheet pan and bake, stirring occasionally with a spatula, until the mixture turns a nice, even golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Remove the granola from the oven and allow to cool, stirring once.

Combine the fruit in a bowl. In 4 glasses, layer first the fruit, then the yogurt, and the cooled granola alternately until you fill the glasses.